She began teaching American history and English to her junior high school students in Maryland. McAuliffe was a popular teacher. Her students loved her because she was so enthusiastic and was able to make history understandable. She also liked to take her students on field trips.
During her first few years teaching, Christa gave birth to her son, Scott, who was born in Here, Christa began her second job as a high school teacher and gave birth to her second child, Caroline. Christa was very interested in space travel. She followed all the news about the launching of the first space shuttle as it circled Earth in She shared her dreams of being an astronaut with her classes.
He hoped that this mission would show the rest of the world just how important teachers were. Christa quickly applied. She beat out more than 11, applicants! Christa was thrilled with her opportunity to go into space and bring back what she learned to her students in the high school. Her original launch date was January 22, but there were many problems with the shuttle taking off. The flight was delayed four times before the date for launching was finally set.
Millions of people were also watching on televisions around the world. Sadly, less than two minutes after the shuttle lifted off, it exploded and everyone aboard died.
It was a very sad time for those who loved Christa and believed in her dream of being the first teacher to enter space. Teachers around the world, many of whom watched the launch live, were devastated.
Bush delivered the good news at a special ceremony at the White House, stating that McAuliffe was going to be the "first private citizen passenger in the history of space flight. After NASA announced the selection of McAuliffe, her whole community rallied behind her, treating her as a hometown hero when she returned from the White House.
As for McAuliffe, she saw the space mission as a chance to go on the ultimate field trip. She believed that by participating in the mission she could help students better understand space and how NASA works. One of the more difficult aspects of the program was leaving her family for extensive training. More than any other year, was to be the year of the space shuttle, with 15 flights scheduled.
The shuttle was originally scheduled for lift-off on January 22, but there were multiple delays. The first one was a routine scheduling delay. The second was because of a dust storm at an emergency landing site. The third delay was because of inclement weather at the launch site. One final delay was due to a technical problem with a door latch mechanism. On January 28, , McAuliffe's friends and family, including her two children, anxiously watched and waited for the Challenger space shuttle to take off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Her students in Concord also tuned in with the rest of the country to watch the history-making space expedition. However, less than two minutes after lift-off, the shuttle exploded, and everyone aboard died. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God. A shocked nation mourned the passing of the seven crew members of the Challenger. President Reagan spoke of the crew as heroes shortly after the accident: "This America, which Abraham Lincoln called the last, best hope of man on Earth, was built on heroism and noble sacrifice," he stated.
NASA spent months analyzing the incident, later determining that problems with the right solid rocket booster had been the primary cause of the disaster. The findings revealed a gasket had failed on the rocket booster, the cold had affected the O-rings and a leak caused fuel to ignite. After her death, this courageous educator received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. As a tribute to her memory, a planetarium in Concord was named after her, as well as an asteroid and a crater on the moon.
In addition, the Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center at Framingham State College was established to carry on her legacy and support the advancement of educational practices throughout the region. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives.
African American physicist and astronaut Ronald McNair was one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle 'Challenger' explosion. In , astronaut and astrophysicist Sally Ride became the first American woman in space aboard the space shuttle Challenger. As a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle Challenger in , Guion S.
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