Rachel Wagoner, 17, and Melissa Shortt, also 17, followed the television reports from a 13-inch television in the crew room of the Bithlo McDonald’s. They first thought of the families, then feared terrorism.
“They’re talking about heating tiles, but whatever,” Wagoner said. “It was the first Israeli to go up and all of a sudden, it blows up? Maybe, this will make the president finally act.”
Shortt added, “Yeah, it could be a coincidence, but you have to think about terrorism.”
U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, was preparing to fly to Washington, D.C., when he talked to a local television reporter.
“It is a shock, of course. The loss to these families has got to be incredible,” Mica said. “It takes brave men and women to do this on a routine basis in developing our space program and our potential for the future. It’s a tough loss, and today will be another day we’ll all remember.”
“It brings goose bumps to you,” said Tom Piascik, at about 11:15 a.m. today while standing outside a Citgo station in east Orange County. The Geneva man first heard the news while shopping at an Oviedo hardware store. “The first thing I thought was, could it be sabotage, could it be terrorism?”
When he got home, he flipped on the television reports, watching news of the Columbia mission for the first time since its launch. “Personally, I didn’t ever know it was up there before this.”
“It’s just so sad. There’s people up there who have kids,” said Debbie Shriver, 44, of Bithlo who heard the news about 11:30 a.m. as she left a Lil’ Champ Food store in Bithlo. “And, I don’t think it was no accident, either.”
Robert Thiboldeaux, 65, of Enver Grove, Minn., near St. Paul, is vacationing in Florida with his family and saw on the banner airplane Friday advertising the shuttle landing and decided to drive over to Titusville.
“We just got there in time. It was once in a lifetime chance [to see a shuttle landing],” he said about 11:30 today in Titusville. “You are thinking of the families, seven families, probably a hundred people each, and the people of Israel.”
Edward Eads, 46, who is relocating to Florida and watched news of the Challenger explosion from Michigan, was driving along U.S. Highway 1 in Titusville when the news broke on the radio. He pulled off the road near the Indian River.
“I couldn’t believe it. I never thought they would have trouble landing. It’s always the launch they worry about.”
Eads, who has taken his children to four or five shuttle launches, added “I just thought I’d stop and pay my respect,” as he sat along the river and stared into the distance at NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building.
Linda Brodie, 45, of Mims was at home, waiting for the sonic booms from the shuttle landing as she and her daughter tended to their horses. “As soon as I didn’t hear the booms . . . we knew something was wrong. It’s like every time we have any ‘first’ something goes wrong. . . . This has a lot of meaning for us today. Titusville didn’t need this.”
Sears at the Oviedo Marketplace opened early, shortly after the 9 a.m. explosion, to let shoppers crowd into the TV section of the store. The disaster played over and over on scores of television sets throughout the morning.
“It was a shock,” said salesman Micheal Shimmack, 23.
An Orange County kindergarten teacher heard the news on the radio and stopped to pray for the astronauts. It reminded her of the deaths of the seven Challenger astronauts in 1986.
“If there is a positive side, at least [the debris] didn’t land in an highly populated area.”
Lovina Johnson, 65, of Orlando works at Panera Bread. “We all just have a lump in our throat,” she said.
The manager’s mother called to inform the staff that the shuttle had disappeared. So Johnson called her son, who has a black and white television — which he brought to her so she and her colleagues could watch the news while working.
“I guess the only thing that we can be thankful for was it was instantaneous and people didn’t have to suffer.”
Summer Ramirez, 28, of West Palm Beach was still in bed at the Radisson Hotel Orlando when a friend rushed back from the hotel gym to tell her of the explosion. She said she was disappointed when she turned on the television.
“I thought it was wrong that they were showing it on TV before they could tell the families.”
Standing near the flag flying half-staff at the hotel, Ramirez said she would keep plans to visit Islands of Adventure today. “Life goes on.”‘
Tracy Janci was still shaken as she stopped to get gas at a service station near Universal Studio. The 28-year-old, who had an afternoon wedding to attend, said she heard the news when her clock radio came on about 10 a.m.
“I felt like I was in a dream state,” she said.
The nation’s space program has always fascinated Charlotte Atkins. The 57-year-old Altamonte Springs woman makes a point of watching launches from her driveway. Earlier this month, she saw Columbia lift off.
“I save the newspaper clippings,” she said, “and I always look for the next launch.”
Today, standing outside the Orange County Regional History Center and cradling her Chihuahua named Duke, Atkins said she heard about Columbia on the television.
“I just feel so bad . . . ” she said. “What a tremendous loss.”
At Oviedo Marketplace, a video game salesman at Planet X, joined scores of shoppers and clerks stunned by the news.
“It’s insane,” Roger Granados said. “That shuttle has had too many runs. It’s been operational for a very long time. . . . Somebody just made a small mistake and probably human.”
Sitting in the mall’s food court, Jim Demichael, 34, of Oviedo watched his 1-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son play as he tried to make sense of the disaster.
“I’m kind of horrified for the people who were on the shuttle. My heart goes out to those people,” he said.
The shuttle tragedy quickly distracted festivities at the 28th annual Mount Dora Arts Festival, where spectators huddled around radios and televisions to catch the latest news updates.
Many used cell phones to share information with family and friends outside of the event.
Radio station WMMO (98.9 FM), which had speakers to play music for the crowd, switched to a live news simulcast.
“It has been crazy,” said Sam Weekley, the station’s assistant promotions director. “It’s really upsetting for a lot of people.”
Jack and Pat Jones of Orlando stopped by the radio booth after hearing people at the festival talking about the disaster.
Pat said she initially feared the worst — “I thought it was terrorism.”
Jack remembered the Challenger disaster in 1986, watching the launch from the roof of Orlando Utilities Commission plant in Titusville.
Mount Dora police Capt. Ron Rauth said many people visited the officers’ command station inside the festival to inquire about today’s shuttle explosion. Officers then set up a television outside for festival visitors to watch.
