Christa McAuliffe

About Christa McAuliffe

Christa McAuliffe was an American high school teacher best remembered for being one of the seven crew members who tragically lost their lives in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (STS-51-L) of 1986. She was posthumously honored with NASA's highest award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 2004.

Family Life

She was the daughter of Grace and Edward Corrigan. She grew up with four younger siblings. In 1970, she got married to Steven J McAuliffe and bore him two children. The couple remained married until her tragic death in 1986.

Trivia

She was portrayed by actress Karen Allen in the 1990 disaster film Challenger.

In 1985, she was chosen out of over 11,000 applicants who applied for NASA’ program Teacher in Space Project (TISP) to become the first teacher to fly into space.

Christa McAuliffe photo gallery

Title

Challenger flight 51-l crew

Author

NASA

Source

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Challenger_flight_51-l_crew.jpg

License

Public domain

Title

Sharon Christa McAuliffe received a preview of microgravity during a special flight aboard NASA's KC-135 "zero gravity" aircraft. A special parabolic pattern flown by the aircraft provides shore periods of weightlessness. These flights are often nicknamed the "vomit comet" because of the nausea that is often induced. McAuliffe represented the Teacher in Space Project aboard the STS 51-L/Challenger when it exploded during take-off on January 28, 1986 and claimed the lives of the crewmembers.

Author

Keith Meyers of the New York Times

Source

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christa_McAuliffe_Experiences_Weightlessness_During_KC-135_Flight_-_GPN-2002-000149.jpg

License

Public domain

Title

Christa McAuliffe and Barbara Morgan, Teacher in space primary and backup crew members for Shuttle Mission STS-51L. This mission ended in failure when the Challenger orbiter exploded 73 seconds after launch on January 28, 1986.

Author

NASA/JSC

Source

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christa_McAuliffe_and_Barbara_Morgan_-_GPN-2002-000004.jpg

License

Public domain

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F.A.Q. about Christa McAuliffe

When is her birthday?

Christa McAuliffe's birthday is on September 2, 1948.

In how many days is her birthday?

Christa's birthday is in 253 days

How old was Christa when she died?

She was 37 years old.

When did she die?

She died in January 28, 1986.

How old would she be today?

Christa McAuliffe would be 76 years old if she was alive today.

Where was Christa from?

She was born in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S..