In 1986 I was a sophomore in high school on my way to second period when I heard something had gone wrong with the launch of Space Shuttle Challenger. Immediately I ran to the A/V room of the library, normally off limits to students but my friend Mitch ran the school's BBS and so he had elite access.
I spent most of the day in that room, ignoring the bells for the next class, and the classes after that. I only left to prepare for the buss ride home and once I arrived, turned on the TV to see if they had rescued the crew.
The sharpest difference between then and now is that back in '86 everyone, including the news anchors, kept hope for a miracle. Everyone wanted to believe that somehow the astronauts had lived, that the cabin compartment had somehow broken away and landed safely. There were reports and speculation, expert commentary on the possibility of rescue.
But this morning, in front of an educated and experienced audience, the hope for a miracle was gone. It wasn't even discussed. The imagery of the Space Shuttle Columbia breaking apart at Mach 18 was enough for everyone to know that it was over and 'recovery' crews would only be picking up pieces and fragments.
I would like to think that we haven't lost our will to hope or our willingness to believe in a miracle, but after everything our country has been through, live on television, in the last twenty years it would seem that there is little time for hope and no more belief in miracles.
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I would respond by saying that the "hope for miracles" quickly deteriorates among hard evidence. Live television and immediate reporting (this time the internet was actually slower than TV) do away with "hope". "Hope" only exists when knowledge is lacking.
In the age of quick news and high ratings, the notion of a miracle is slim. Scary to say even 1986 was a different time. The thoughts in the air I'm sure are quite different. Perhaps the notion of a miracle can't even exist in today's world. I certainly didn't come across it today.
I think this situation was much different. The Challenger explosion occured so soon after liftoff that survivable did seem remotely possible. In this case, the shuttle obviously broke up completely at around 207,000 ft travelling at Mach-18. I believe it was apparent that survival would be an impossibility. Given those circumstances, I found it appropriate to be honest and not garner false hope.