Christa McAuliffe

Today is the birthday of Christa McAuliffe, a teacher and astronaut who was one of seven crew members killed in the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986. McAuliffe was born in Boston in 1948. She earned a master’s degree in education from Bowie State University and eventually became a social studies teacher at Concord High School in New Hampshire. In 1985 McAuliffe was chosen from more than 11,000 applicants to become the first teacher (and civilian) to go into space. She trained intensively as a payload specialist in anticipation of STS-51-L, a Challenger flight scheduled for January 1986. She planned to keep a detailed journal in space and teach two lessons to students around the globe. On 28 January millions of people, including many schoolchildren, watched in horror as Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff. NASA wouldn’t fly another shuttle until September 1988. McAuliffe was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 2004.

Date in History: 2 September 1948