New Video of the Challenger Explosion

Just a little more than 26 years, a new video of the Challenger explosion was discovered


On vacation in Orlando, Florida, this video was shot from Orlando International Airport, by Bob Karman, formerly of New Scientist Magazine, which is a straight-line 50 miles west of the Kennedy Space Center. Throughout the lifetime of the Space Shuttle program, the area around MCO, whether on the ground or in the air, was a prime vantage point for watching the Shuttle liftoffs. (MCO, because of its close proximity to Kennedy Space Center, was designated a backup landing point for the Space Shuttle.) The breakup and explosion can be seen at :39 of the video, which at that time, wasn't determined. The actual explosion was told to Karman as he and his family boarded the plane.

While working on a retirement project of digitizing home video, Karman discovered the video and it was released by his daughter, who, as a 3 year old, was seen in the video.

This vantage point is a new historical record of a very sad day in America; a day that many of my fellow Gen-Xers, even though they were young at the time, remember all too well.