Christa McAuliffe
(b. Sept. 2, 1948, d. Jan. 28, 1986)Claim to fame: Selected to be the first civilian in space; Killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
Buried: Calvary Cemetery, Concord, N.H.
In 1985, NASA choose Christa McAuliffe out of more than 11,000 applicants for their "Teacher in Space" program — a program in the 1980s intended to inspire students, honor teachers, and stir public interest in the space program. McAuliffe was supposed to give two teaching lessons from space and spent several months preparing for the journey. However, on Jan. 23, 1986, McAuliffe's shuttle, the Space Shuttle Challenger, exploded 73 seconds after takeoff, killing McAuliffe and the other six crew members aboard.
Read more about the USS Challenger disaster in the Globe archive.
(Janet Knott/Globe Staff)
 |
Halloween in New England
Find haunted hotels, Halloween events, scary secrets spaces, and more. |