Date of Birth

September 2, 1948
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Childhood / Family

Lived in a Boston suburb called Framingham.  She was good student, took piano and dance lessons.  She was a Girl Scout. She had four younger brothers and sisters.  McAuliffe married and had two children.

Education

Bachelor of Arts, Framingham State College, 1970

Masters in Education, Bowie State College, Maryland, 1978

Military Service / Civilian

Civilian

Space Training / Specialty

Selected as the primary candidate for the NASA Teacher in Space Project on July 19, 1985. Her assignment was payload specialist on STS 51-L (Challenger).  She prepared 15 teaching sessions to be transmitted from space.  Her first lesson was called “The Ultimate Field Trip” which was a tour of the space shuttle.

Contribution to Space Travel

America’s first private citizen in space and first schoolteacher.

Space Missions

Crew member of Space Shuttle Challenger, which exploded after takeoff

on January 28, 1986, killing all aboard.

Occupation

Educator, Astronaut, Scientist

Outside Activities

Enjoyed jogging, tennis, and volleyball.

Interesting Fact(s)

McAuliffe encouraged her students to try new things, dream big dreams, and “reach for the stars”. To honor her, the Christa McAuliffe Center was opened in Concord, Massachusetts to hold workshops for teachers and has a planetarium for children to visit and learn about space.

Status

Died: January 28, 1986
Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA

Images