By Charlie at Pasty Central on Sunday, February 9, 2003 - 03:50 am:
We usually have a photo from the past on Sunday... But this recent sunrise by Donn de Yampert reminded me of a song I had written, along with my wife and son and a friend in Wisconsin, shortly after the Challenger disaster. It was on this day in 1986 we recorded a tribute to the memory of that first crew of 7 Americans, who have now been joined by the 7 members of STS-107.
As we watched the memorial service this past week, while the words of President Bush honored the Columbia 7, it seemed just as appropriate applied to the other crew 17 years earlier.
National tragedies often move us in a very personal way. That morning we were watching coverage of the Challenger lift-off, as a school project for 10-year-old Jonathan. The space program had always been of great interest to our family. But like thousands of others, our excitement became stunned silence as we witnessed history. In the days that followed, our family expressed the way it affected us in a song, along with a friend who helped us put it into words.
It's just a rough draft, but I dug out the cassette from February of '86 and added some of President Bush's remarks. You can hear it in Real Audio, or download the MP3 to go along with these lyrics:
Seven New Stars
In memory of - Richard Scobee
Michael Smith - Christa McAuliffe
Judith Resnik - Ronald McNair
Ellison Onizuka - Gregory Jarvis
.
Look to the sky - what do I see?
Seven new stars shining on me,
Seven brave souls from the world set free,
With a light for all people to see...
A light for all people to see.
One winter morning by dawn's early light
Seven Americans came
Ready to go on a Challenger flight -
Soon we would know them by name.
Up the long stairs - through the last door,
This was the moment they'd been waiting for.
Countdown begun - seven now one,
Finally off with a thundering roar!
(chorus)
A teacher named Christa was part of the crew
Invited along for a ride
Leaving her family and classroom behind
Serving her country with pride.
Into the sky - into the light
Riding on top of America's might,
All systems go - rockets aglow
Into the blue what a beautiful sight!
(chorus)
Challenger, Challenger throttle ahead,
Into the heavens above.
All of your children are watching below,
Sending their prayers and their love.
Into the sky - into the light,
Into a fireball burning so bright.
What could we say? What could we do?
All of our dreams were riding with you.
(comment)
Silently downward the Challenger came,
Streaming like tears from the sky,
Falling away from the friends she had known,
Leaving us wondering why.
Young pioneers - risking their lives
Blazing a trail from the Earth to the skies,
Making a way to follow someday,
The ultimate price for a hero to pay.
(chorus)
What gave the strength to the Challenger crew?
Courage to face the unknown?
Chasing a dream that was bigger than life,
Making the heavens their own.
Into the sky - into the light
Knowing a new day will follow the night,
Finding the faith for what we must do,
We'll always remember the Challenger crew.
(chorus and final comment)
Words and music by: Charlie and Edie Hopper,
Jonathan Hopper and Gene Amann (c) 1986-2003
Comments courtesy whitehouse.gov
Thank you for stopping by Pasty Central. This month completes 5 full years of the Pasty Cam, and for the balance of February I'll be turning over the controls to Toivo, as Edie and I go south for awhile. Hopefully he'll bring you some coverage of Winter Carnival at Michigan Tech later this week. Have a happy Valentine's Day, happy President's Day, and Lord willing we'll see you again in March.
