The space shuttle Columbia was lost this morning as it was preparing to land. This flight was special in that the first Israeli to go on a manned spaceflight was on board.

I remember January 28, 1986—the day the Challenger broke up upon liftoff—like it was yesterday. I was in seventh grade science class. As children, we were were stunned. I mean, NASA wasn’t supposed to make mistakes. No one was supposed to die on the Space Shuttle!

Today, I feel echoes of the same feelings I felt seventeen years ago.

After the Challenger disaster, Charlotte Observer editorial cartoonist Doug Marlette drew the following poignant illustration of public grief.