Christa McAuliffe, born on September 2, 1948, died January 28, 1986 in the tragic Challenger explosion. She was chosen out of 10,463 applicants for the chance to be the first teacher in space, but she didn't reach space, because the Challenger exploded only seconds after take-off. McAuliffe planned two lessons well in space via TV to millions of school children in the U.S. Many of the students watched her take off from the Kennedy Space Flight Center. She taught high school social studies in Concord, New Hampshire.