• Mary Ann "Skipper"
  • 2011
  • 0

Last week was the 25th anniversary of the Challenger space shuttle disaster. It was an event imprinted on a generation and affected the psyche of a nation.

It also impacted how NASA runs. Many lessons were learned and safety improvements and processes were made. Out of this tragedy NASA created a program that inspired me and many others.

They have opened over 40 Challenger Learning Stations around the country that teach people about space and the men and women on the Challenger. Many kids who saw the disaster that day have become teachers in the program.

In short, we can learn from adversity and use negative situations to make a difference. Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of any good that can come when a bad experience or disaster strikes.

While this is a natural response when a negative situation (not on the magnitude of the Challenger) occurs, I encourage you to remember on some level that a spark of potential might generate a whole new opportunity that was previously unforeseen.