Christa McAuliffe, First Teacher in Space (ChristaMcAuliffe_cropped.jpg-wikipedia.jpg)
Christa McAuliffe
First Teacher in Space
Space Shuttle Challenger
STS-51-L
Disaster: January 28, 1986
On her NASA application for schoolteachers wishing to be included in the Space Shuttle Challenger launch to the moon, Christa Corrigan McAuliffe wrote, “I watched the Space Age being born, and I would like to participate.” Of the 11,000-plus applications, McAuliffe’s was chosen.
She planned to keep a three-part journal:
Describe the space training
Chronicle the details of the flight to the moon
Relate the feelings and experiences back on earth
She also planned to keep a video of her activities.
While in space, she was to conduct two lessons from the space shuttle to be simulcast around the world, and she was to spend nine months speaking to students across the U.S. She had already designed a special course for high school students titled “The American Woman,” which focused on the contributions of women in American society. She used letters, diaries and journals to document how regular women, not celebrities, shaped and influenced American culture.
McAuliffe would have celebrated her 78th birthday on September 2, 2026. On January 28, 2026, it was 40 years since the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up only 73 seconds after it launched. According to Britannica, the cause of the disaster was “the failure of two rubber O-rings to seal a joint between the two lower segments of the right-hand solid rocket booster. This failure was due to severe cold, and it opened a path for hot exhaust gas to escape from inside the booster during the shuttle’s ascent.”
The nation was shocked, and NASA reorganized. Congress authorized construction of Space Shuttle Endeavor to replace the Challenger orbiter. More than 40 schools were named for her as was the Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University, where she attended when it was Framingham State College. The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord is a planetarium and science center named partly for her. The McAuliffe Crater on the Moon, A crater on Venus by the Soviet Union, and Asteroid 3352 are named for her.
Bio
- Born – September 2, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts
- Parents – Grace Corrigan, a substitute teacher, and Edward Corrigan, an accountant
- 1966 – Graduated from Marian High School, Framingham, Massachusetts
- 1970 – Bachelor’s degree in American history and education, Framingham State College
- 1970 – August 23, married Steven McAuliffe, her high school sweetheart
- 1976 – Son, Scott, born September 11
- 1978 – Master’s degree in education, supervision, and administration, Bowie State College, Bowie Maryland
- 1979 – Daughter, Caroline, born August 24
Teaching Career
- 1970 – American history, Benjamin Foulois Junior High School, Morningside, Maryland
- 1971-78 – History and civics, Thomas Johnson Middle School, Lanham, Maryland
- 1978-79 – 7th grade English, 8th grade American history, Rundlett Junior High School, Concord, New Hampshire
- 1980-82 – 9th grade English and social studies, Bow Memorial Middle School, Bow, N.H.
- 1983-85 – Social studies, Concord High School, Concord, New Hampshire
- 1985 – President Reagan announced McAuliffe was selected for NASA’s Teacher in Space program
McAuliffe and the other six members of the crew on Space Shuttle Challenger died in the explosion. Navy divers located remains from 90 to 100 feet underwater. It was estimated the cabin hit the water at about 200 miles per hour.
Further information
https://community.firstinspires.org/teaching-the-future-christa-mcauliffes-legacy
https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/challenger-disaster-normalization-deviance
https://challenger.org/crew/christa-mcauliffe
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