um, what about Space Shuttle Columbia?

[Cocoa]

Columbia crashed just three years ago, killing all seven crew members.

I remember when the Challenger blew up. It was a huge national tragedy, it dominated the news that year, from the event through the investigations. And it's being commemmorated now 20 years later.

Not so with Columbia. It was forgotten almost immediately. Maybe there's so many tragedies now competing for attention.

[Ian David]

1. Never get in a rocket right before a GOP President's SOTU Address

They might be less likely to delay the launch if it means the senile old incompetent bigot running the country won't get to teleconference with you from orbit.

Or if his wife's Astrologer tells NASA "You have to launch today."

[benburch]

2. Not forgotten by me!

But in terms of the disaster we have before us, not front page material.

We lost a 5 billion dollar shuttle and crew of Astronauts, and that is horrible - especially since we knew that it would happen again! The accident board for the Challenger predicted failure rates high enough to to ensure that we would lose another shuttle if we kept flying them.

But in contrast to the 100,000+ innocent Iraqi war dead, the thousands of dead and maimed US soldiers, the thousands dead (and their bodies uncounted) in Katrina, I'm sorry, but it is a minor issue.

[DS1]

3. Challenger had national interest due to civilian onboard

and also had a much more tv-friendly bang instead of streaking through the sky in pieces.

That's just the nature of the beast (news)

Challenger is also now a big business - http://www.challenger.org/clc/network.cfm

[LibDemAlways]

4. The difference was the teacher, Christa McAuliffe.

NASA was putting the "teacher in space" as a gimmick, so the mission received a ton of advance publicity and people felt they knew her.

Also, Reagan was given some eloquent statements to make afterward which touched the national heartstrings.

I thought about Columbia, too, yesterday, watching all the Challenger coverage. It was a different, more cynical time, a different crew, a "President" who couldn't fake heartfelt emotion or eloquence if his life depended on it, and thus, couldn't touch the American people. No less a tragedy, just one not given its due.

[peekaloo]

5. Wasn't that in February?

I remember Bu$h being "unavailable" for hours that day. When he finally did appear he looked a tad, um, hungover.

[Cocoa]

6. Bush returned via a speeding motorcade

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/02/01/sprj.colu.bush.tictoc/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The following is a recap of President Bush's day, as recounted to CNN by a senior administration official:
8 a.m. EST

President Bush, at the Camp David retreat, receives his usual intelligence briefing.

9 a.m. EST
White House Chief of Staff Andy Card, also at Camp David, is channel surfing, flipping through TV stations, and begins watching NASA Television, awaiting the landing. He sees that NASA has lost contact with the space shuttle Columbia.
Card calls the Situation Room and then NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe but could not reach him. Card tells Bush that NASA has lost contact with the shuttle.

Bush's initial reaction is that he is deeply concerned for those on board, especially for the families. He tells Card to keep him updated as events unfold and to keep in close contact with O'Keefe.

9:15 a.m. EST
Card and O'Keefe speak. O'Keefe updates him on the situation.
Card notifies National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, who is at Camp David, as well as Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers.

10:30 a.m. EST
Bush is briefed by O'Keefe by phone and decides to cut short his stay at Camp David.

12:15 p.m. EST
Bush returns to the White House via a speeding motorcade.

12:30 p.m. EST
The president has returned to the Oval Office. Soon after, he is briefed by O'Keefe by phone, who tells Bush that the families are "holding up exceptionally well ... they are a courageous group of people."

Bush tells O'Keefe that "this was a tough day for all."

[Island Blue]

7. The "Memory Hole" wasn't in full operation 20 years ago.

It's use wasn't fully implemented until 09/12/01. It's easy to forget, I know.

[Connie_Corleone]

8. Challenger had the whole "teacher in space" thing going for it.

Millions of schoolkids watched the Challenger launch live on tv and then "blow up".

There weren't millions of people watching the Columbia landing.