Christa McAuliffe (1948-1986) was a teacher and astronaut whose death occurred during one of the highest profile and most devastating space flight disasters in history. In spite of the terrible circumstances surrounding her death, her courage and enthusiasm continue to make her an important symbol for both space exploration and the field of education.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan. And this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today’s local legend is part of a tragic story known across the nation. Her death occurred during one of the highest profile and most devastating space flight disasters in history. In spite of the terrible circumstances surrounding her death, her courage and enthusiasm make her a symbol for space exploration and education. Let’s talk about Christa McAuliffe.
Christa McAuliffe was born Sharon Christa Corrigan in Boston on September 2, 1948. She was the oldest of 5 siblings.
Christa grew up in the thrilling prime of the space race. She was nine years old when Sputnik was first launched into orbit, and 20 years old when Neil Armstrong took his legendary first steps on the moon.
Christa graduated from high school in 1966 and went on to study American history and education at Framingham State College. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she married Steven McAuliffe, her high school sweetheart.
After graduation, Christa started teaching at a junior high school in Maryland. In 1978, she earned her master’s degree in education from Bowie State College and moved to New Hampshire to continue her teaching career in Concord. Along the way, she and Steven also had two children, Scott and Caroline.
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan and NASA announced the inaugural Teacher in Space program, a never-before-tried initiative to show appreciation for educators across the country. One lucky teacher would have the opportunity to go into space with a crew of astronauts, inspiring students to pursue STEM fields.
More than 11,000 teachers around the country applied for the opportunity. Christa certainly didn’t have her hopes up when she first put her application in the mail, but her bottomless enthusiasm and passion made her the perfect candidate. NASA narrowed the pool of applicants to 10 teachers, who they briefed, interviewed, and examined. In the end, Christa was chosen.
Vice President George H.W. Bush announced Christa’s win at a White House ceremony. The plan was for Christa to go to space aboard the Challenger, which would make her the first private citizen passenger in the history of space flight.
Christa returned to Concord from the White House, a hometown hero. She planned to make the flight the ultimate field trip, taking notes on the journey and helping her students understand NASA.
Christa went to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas for a long period of exhaustive training. She was separated from her family the majority of the year, only traveling home for the holidays. During this training, Christa learned how to operate the television cameras the crew was bringing, how to read the shuttle’s controls, and how to use the onboard facilities. She experienced weightlessness onboard a KC-135 jet.
Christa was prepared, physically and mentally. She told New York Magazine, “I realize there is a risk outside your everyday life, but it doesn't frighten me.”
After all of this training, the launch date finally arrived. On January 28, 1986, the Challenger was set to launch with seven people onboard. Christa’s husband and children watched in person, and her students and friends watched from home on television, as the shuttle took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
But disaster struck.
Less than two minutes after taking off, the shuttle was engulfed in smoke and exploded, killing everyone onboard.
The Challenger disaster shocked the nation. President Reagan delivered a speech shortly afterward praising the crew as heroes. After months of investigation, NASA revealed that the rubber o-rings designed to hold in one of the rocket boosters failed due to the cold temperatures that day. This caused fuel to leak and ignite.
Christa McAuliffe posthumously received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. A planetarium in Concord was named after her, as well as an asteroid and a crater on the moon. Framingham State College established the Christa Corrigan Mcauliffe Center to support the advancement of education in the region.
Barbara Morgan, the second-choice teacher for the Teacher in Space program, had become close with Christa as they trained together in Houston. Over a decade after the Challenger disaster, Barbara was able to travel into space -- making her the first educator to do so.
Barbara later said, “Christa reminded everybody, at a time when education was being lambasted, that our country is full of good teachers who are working really hard in the classroom to do the best they can to help our young people have a bright future.”
All month, we’re talking about Local Legends. For more on why we’re doing what we’re doing, check out our newsletter, Womannica Weekly. Find us on facebook and instagram @encyclopediawomannica. You can also find me on twitter @jennymkaplan.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!