TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - The headlines are still hard to read, four decades later.

‘Explosion Stuns Nation,’ read the Florida Today newspaper.

The Miami Herald: ‘Shuttle Explodes: Seven astronauts die off Cape."

Tallahassee’s Challenger Learning Center has a collection of newspapers from before, during, and after the January 1986 disaster that forever changed NASA.

This week, as America is set to honor the seven crew members 40 years after their death, the center is hoping to hear from those who lived through the disaster.

Challenger Learning Center executive director Alan Hanstein knows many in Florida were watching the space shuttle launch live that cold morning.

“There’s a lot of Floridians who were out that day trying to catch a shuttle launch, especially because it was such a significant shuttle launch,” he said.

“And so, yeah, the stories are hard. Everybody remembers exactly where they were.”

With that in mind, the center launched an effort to collect stories from locals who remember that day. The online form serves as a chance to honor the astronauts while focusing on their legacy, Hanstein said.

The public is also welcome to attend the center’s memorial ceremony Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hanstein said a number of officials will provide remarks, and a bell ringing will honor the crew at the exact time Challenger exploded.

This week also serves as the launch of the Challenger Legacy Campaign, an initiative designed to enhance learning opportunities at the center.

“To create educational lessons for all seven astronauts...we want to honor each astronaut with something that’s personal to them and use that in our education,” Hanstein said.

The campaign will also aim to build a permanent exhibit at the center honoring the Challenger crew.

The Challenger Centers grew out of the families desire to preserve the astronauts’ legacies, Hanstein said.

Tallahassee’s center opened in 2003.

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