Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) posted a photo of the wrong flight crew Thursday in her social media remembrance of the 30th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion.
Baldwin initially posted a photo of the flight crew from the Space Shuttle Columbia to Twitter. The error was quickly corrected.
The Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after it took off in 1986. The Columbia disintegrated as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere in 2003.
Both tragedies resulted in seven deaths each.
Here’s Baldwin’s tweet with a photo of the correct flight crew:
30 years ago, the #Challenger disaster shook the world. The crew will always be remembered. pic.twitter.com/nzjaaTnJkH
— Sen. Tammy Baldwin (@SenatorBaldwin) January 28, 2016
Such a sad event. I had met Christa McAuliffe, been to her house. I bawled like a baby that day.
Hard to believe it was 30 years ago! I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news, same with the Columbia disaster (4 days from exactly 13 years ago and, for the first time, breaking news read on line here on TPM).
Oops!
I’d like to take the opportunity to point out a statement like that would be mocked mercilessly today.
Me too. Both times. The video is still hard to watch.
High Flight by John Gillespie Magee, Jr
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, --and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of --Wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air…
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark or even eagle flew –
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
A video narrated with this poem was broadcast twice daily along with the National Anthem during many television station’s sign-on and sign-offs from the late 50s through the 60s here in the Midwest.