System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Christa McAuliffe
1948 - 1986
Christa McAuliffe, the civilian teacher who was aboard the ill-fated space shuttle Challenger, died when the spacecraft exploded after take-off on January 28, 1986. She was 37.
McAuliffe was born Sharon Christa Corrigan on September 2, 1948 in Framingham, Massachusetts. The oldest of five children, she graduated from Framingham State College in 1970 with a major in history.
She married Steve McAuliffe in 1970. They moved to Washington D.C. where her husband attended law school and Christa taught school before her two children were born. Meantime, McAuliffe received her master's degree in school administration. In 1978 the family moved to Concord, New Hampshire where her husband set up his law practice.
McAuliffe returned to teaching, and began a busy lifestyle as an educator at Concord High School, as well as participating in community and church affairs.
As a social studies teacher, McAuliffe's teaching style was hands-on. She made a lot of field trips with her students to show them how their book knowledge was applied in the real world.
In 1984, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was promoting a program to allow a civilian to travel along with a space shuttle crew. McAuliffe applied, and much to her surprise, was chosen over 11,500 other applicants to become the first teacher in space.
She told her students her space excursion would be the ultimate field trip. A rigorous training program got her prepared for the shuttle flight, which was scheduled for late January 1986.
Because of McAuliffe's participation, there was a great deal of media coverage of the launch. The televised lift-off occurred on January 28, 1986. The initial blast-off went well, but 73 seconds into the flight, the spacecraft exploded, killing all seven astronauts. It was later determined that a flawed O-Ring allowed fuel to leak into the engine compartment to cause the explosion.
Had the shuttle flight been successful, McAuliffe was to have taught two lessons to her students about space and the shuttle's operation.
In 1990, the Christa McAuliffe Planatarium opened in Concord, Massachusetts. Funded by the New Hampshire legislature, the facility is designed to provide hands-on astronomy and space science experiences to show visitors the wonders of space. Approximately 30,000 people visit the planetarium each year.
