the loss of the crew of space shuttle Columbia on Feb 1st 2003 is something I remember well. because we live about 50 miles due west of the Space Coast here in flat Florida, we go in the backyard to watch the shuttles take off (spectacular!)
We experience the sonic booms at re-entry too

when Columbia was sheduled to return, I was helping as a judge for a large State debate tournament that my son's school had entered, and all judges used the media center of the school where tournament was being held as our rec room in between judging rounds. Anyway, they had the overhead TVs on for us to watch the landing and I remember the shock and grief in the room when the reality of what was happening became so horribly clear

It was decided to let the tournament finish, but word soon began to spread amongst the kids too.

One of the youth pastors at our church is a KSC engineer and he had to go to Texas for long stretches at a time afterward, when the search for remnants of the shuttle was ongoing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_S...umbia_disaster

on a happier note I do remember watching the launch of the first shuttle to go back up after the tragedy -- Discovery on July 26 2005 -- and as the fireball in the sky turned into that trail of smoke as they soared out of view, I was praying for their safety, and remembering those on Columbia and their families who must have had such mixed emotions that day