Woman of the Week: Christa McAuliffe

written by Rachel W.

Christa McAuliffe was an American teacher and one of seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Born as Sharon Christa Corrigan on September 2, 1948, her family moved from Boston to Framingham, MA, where she grew up and graduated high school. She married Steven J. McAuliffe, and together they had two children, Scott and Caroline, after they moved closer to Washington D.C. for school and work.

McAuliffe began teaching in 1970, and continued to teach in schools throughout Maryland and New Hampshire until she was selected to participate in NASA’s Teacher in Space Project in 1985. She was chosen for the program out of around 11,000 applicants because of her positive attitude and enthusiasm for space. “I watched the Space Age being born,” she wrote on her application, “and I would like to participate.” Before the launch, she appeared on many talk shows and helped the Teacher in Space Project gain attention.

January 28, 1986 was an unusually day cold for Cape Canaveral, Florida, with temperatures measuring at 36 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, the launch of the Challenger would not be delayed by the weather. 73 seconds into flight, the shuttle broke apart at an altitude of 48,000 feet, killing all seven crew members aboard. The accident was a shock to the nation, especially due to the high number of children watching the event and the immense media coverage the launch received.

The Challenger disaster was caused by faulty rubber O-rings that should have kept the right Solid Rocket Booster sealed to the shuttle. The temperature is one of the factors as to why the rings did not hold up against the intense atmospheric pressure at the time of the accident.

Christa McAuliffe was buried at Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord. Her legacy lives on through many places named in her honor, such as the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, the McAuliffe crater on the moon, and about 40 schools around the world. There are many scholarships awarded in her memory, including the Nebraska McAuliffe prize, and many other grants given to innovative teachers inspired by McAuliffe.

McAuliffe’s children have since pursued careers, with her daughter following in her mother’s footsteps and choosing to teach. In 2004, she was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, along with the others who lost their lives on the Challenger and the Columbia disasters. January 28, 2016 marked the 30-year passing of the accident, and dozens of teachers from around the country traveled to Cape Canaveral to honor the memory of those who lost their lives that tragic day.