Challenger Shuttle Exploded January 28, 1986 (VIDEO)

34years ago today, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after lift-off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. I remember exactly where I was, working for a hotel company, and listening to the coverage on a Boston news station on the radio. It was one of the surreal moments that is imprinted on your mind. I know where I was when President Reagan was shot, and of course, when the terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001.

The Challenger explosion woke up America to the dangers of space travel. I think America had become complacent with it's success, and there was talk about not even covering these launches anymore.

For me, I remember as a preteen living in Florida and waking up and going down to the beach in the middle of the night, and watching the lift offs of the Apollo spacecraft. Night would turn into day, and you could feel the beach rumble as Apollo went overhead even though we were hundreds of miles away from Cape Canaveral, now the Kennedy Space Center. I also remember being in Yankee Stadium when the spacecraft first landed on the moon. They stopped the game, and asked for a moment of silence for the safety of those on board, and I also remember my parents waking me up in the middle of the night, to watch Neil Armstrong walk on the moon for the first time.

Here's the video of the Challenger Shuttle explosion. If you're old enough, do you remember where you were?