I was in 2nd or 3rd period Biology class, freshman in HS.
Teacher was pretty decent, he was cool enough to understand the pile of hormones and confusion that herded their way in and out of his classroom 6 times a day.
This was a big day for a science teacher who was actually excited about being a science teacher and is genuinely passionate about space.
And there was the whole first teacher in space thing...
We had the sweet big TV on the giant 3 shelf rolling cart with the strap across the top so it didn't fall off when you hit the tiniest crack in the tile trying to move it 3 inches. With the good rabbit ears, not that dumb stock antennae.
These space launches never go on time so we were "lucky" to be in class and watching it when it finally happened. And to be honest it was rare, even back then, to make a big deal about a shuttle launch.
It had become routine.
It was on live television in a whole bunch of classrooms across America because it was going to be "The First Teacher In Space".
It blew up.
It was weird.
Some people cried, some people made jokes the way dumbass kids do.
That's my first memory of the news just repeating any footage they had and interviewing literally anyone, just to keep it going.
Even THAT told you it was a big deal, because there were only 3 networks.
And we watched it over and over, every period, all day long.
Anyone else remember watching this live?