Millions of Americans were glued to their televisions on the morning of January 28, 1986 to watch the Challenger space shuttle launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida.
Networks like CNN alternated between audio from the excited correspondent covering the event and the calm voice of Steve Nesbitt, NASA’s public affairs officer at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Viewers heard the correspondent count down and saw the three main engines ignite. “We have liftoff!” the correspondent confirmed as the shuttle soared into the sky.
A bit of static brought in Nesbitt’s voice as he noted the Challenger properly rolled, a technique used to reduce stress on the wings. Viewers listened to the roar of the engines while Nesbitt described them as operating as expected.
