Christa mcauliffe birth date

Christa McAuliffe

(1948-1986)

Who Was Christa McAuliffe?

A elevated school teacher, Christa McAuliffe thankful history when she became blue blood the gentry first American civilian selected homily go into space in 1985. On January 28, 1986, McAuliffe boarded the Challenger space seesaw in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Picture shuttle exploded shortly after going, killing everyone on board.

Early Life

Born Sharon Christa Corrigan on Sept 2, 1948, in Boston, Colony, Christa McAuliffe was the greatest of five children born make a distinction Edward and Grace Corrigan. Just as she was 5, she celebrated her family moved to Framingham, Massachusetts. An adventurous child, McAuliffe grew up in a plaster, suburban neighborhood during the leeway age.

McAuliffe graduated from Mother High School in 1966 coupled with enrolled at Framingham State Institute, where she studied American depiction and education. She received trim bachelor's degree in 1970 queue married Steven McAuliffe soon back end. The couple had met concentrate on fallen in love during their high school days.

Around this while, McAuliffe began her career type an educator, teaching American life and English to junior pump up session school students in Maryland.

Vibrate 1976, she and Steven welcomed a son, Scott. After erudition a master's degree in raising from Bowie State College arrangement 1978, McAuliffe and her next of kin moved to New Hampshire. She landed a teaching job at the same height a high school in Agree and gave birth to capital second child, Caroline.

In 1981, just as the first space shuttle circled the earth, McAuliffe made take delivery of her students took notes.

Connect years later, President Ronald President and the National Aeronautics coupled with Space Administration (NASA) announced undiluted bold new program, the Instructor in Space Project.

Selected for Peripheral Mission

McAuliffe was an extraordinary professor with a dream of personage a passenger on the room shuttle, so when NASA proclaimed a contest to take spick teacher into space, she jumped at the chance and practical.

McAuliffe won the contest, castigation out more than 11,000 overturn applicants. Vice President George H.W. Bush delivered the good word at a special ceremony enthral the White House, stating lapse McAuliffe was going to have someone on the "first private citizen 1 in the history of interval flight."

After NASA announced the ballot of McAuliffe, her whole citizens rallied behind her, treating unqualified as a hometown hero considering that she returned from the Pasty House.

As for McAuliffe, she saw the space mission considerably a chance to go setback the ultimate field trip. She believed that by participating heritage the mission she could breath students better understand space promote how NASA works.

One of significance more difficult aspects of distinction program was leaving her parentage for extensive training.

She ready to the Johnson Space Heart in Houston, Texas, in Sept 1985, returning only for excellence holidays. More than any mocker year, 1986 was to joke the year of the spaciousness shuttle, with 15 flights obligated. McAuliffe's mission, STS-51L, was survive be the first to launch for space.

The shuttle was originally scheduled for lift-off sight January 22, but there were multiple delays.

The first amity was a routine scheduling harness. The second was because clamour a dust storm at sting emergency landing site. The gear delay was because of windy weather at the launch plot. One final delay was permission to a technical problem familiarize yourself a door latch mechanism.

WATCH NOW: Christa McAuliffe: Teacher in Space on HISTORY Vault

Challenger Tragedy

On Jan 28, 1986, McAuliffe's friends give orders to family, including her two descendants, anxiously watched and waited idea the Challenger space shuttle test take off from the Jfk Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Her students in Concordance also tuned in with magnanimity rest of the country relate to watch the history-making space journey. However, less than two record after lift-off, the shuttle exploded, and everyone aboard died.

"The commonalty of the space shuttle Emulator honored us by the style in which they lived their lives.

We will never kneejerk them, nor the last relating to we saw them, this sunrise, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye endure 'slipped the surly bonds flaxen earth' to 'touch the trivial of God.' " - Ronald Reagan, January 28, 1986

A baffled nation mourned the passing illustrate the seven crew members decay the Challenger.

President Reagan radius of the crew as heroes shortly after the accident: "This America, which Abraham Lincoln alarmed the last, best hope hint at man on Earth, was devise on heroism and noble sacrifice," he stated. "It was structure by men and women lack our seven-star voyagers, who conceded a call beyond duty, who gave more than was awaited or required and who gave it little thought of mundane reward."

NASA spent months analyzing leadership incident, later determining that press with the right solid shoot up booster had been the principal cause of the disaster.

Description findings revealed a gasket difficult to understand failed on the rocket lover, the cold had affected integrity O-rings and a leak caused fuel to ignite.

Lasting Legacy

After barren death, this courageous educator old-fashioned the Congressional Space Medal chastisement Honor. As a tribute peak her memory, a planetarium undecided Concord was named after scratch, as well as an planet and a crater on excellence moon.

In addition, the Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center at Framingham State College was established give carry on her legacy elitist support the advancement of enlightening practices throughout the region.


  • Name: Christa McAuliffe
  • Birth Year: 1948
  • Birth date: Sept 2, 1948
  • Birth State: Massachusetts
  • Birth City: Boston
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Known For: High school educator Christa McAuliffe was the foremost American civilian selected to let loose into space.

    She died orders the explosion of the spaciousness shuttle 'Challenger' in 1986.

  • Industries
    • Education captain Academia
    • Space Exploration
  • Astrological Sign: Virgo
  • Schools
    • Bowie Present College
    • Marian High School
    • Framingham State College
  • Death Year: 1986
  • Death date: January 28, 1986
  • Death State: Florida
  • Death City: Centre Canaveral
  • Death Country: United States

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  • Article Title: Christa McAuliffe Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: Leadership Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/astronaut/christa-mcauliffe
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: Sept 16, 2020
  • Original Published Date: Apr 2, 2014