CHRISTA MCAULIFFE
Sharon Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher to fly in space. Selected from among
more than 11,000 applicants from the education profession for entrance into the
astronaut ranks, McAuliffe had been born on September 2, 1948, the oldest child
of Edward and Grace Corrigan. Her father was at that time completing his
sophomore year at Boston College, but not long thereafter he took a job as an
assistant comptroller in a Boston department store and the family moved to the
Boston suburb of Framingham. As a youth she registered excitement over the
Apollo moon landing program, and wrote years later on her astronaut application
form that "I watched the Space Age being born and I would like to participate."
McAuliffe attended Framingham State College in her hometown, graduating in 1970.
A few weeks later she married her longstanding boyfriend, Steven McAuliffe, and
they moved to the Washington, DC, metropolitan area so Steven could attend
Georgetown Law School. She took a job teaching in the secondary schools,
specializing in American history and social studies. They stayed in the
Washington area for the next eight years, she teaching and completing an M.A.
from Bowie State University, in Maryland. They moved to Concord, New Hampshire,
in 1978 when Steven accepted a job as an assistant to the state attorney general.
Christa took a teaching post at Concord High School in 1982, and in 1984 learned
about NASA's efforts to locate an educator to fly on the Shuttle. The intent was
to find a gifted teacher who could communicate with students from space.
NASA selected McAuliffe for this position in the summer of 1984 and in the fall
she took a year-long leave of absence from teaching, during which time NASA
would pay her salary, and trained for an early 1986 Shuttle mission. She had an
immediate rapport with the media, and the teacher in space program received
tremendous popular attention as a result. It is in part because of the
excitement over McAuliffe's presence on the Challenger that the accident had
such a significant impact on the nation.
Christa attended Framingham High School and Marian High School in Framingham.
She lived in the Saxonville section of Framingham and often visited the
Saxonville branch of the Framingham Public Library. The branch was re-named the
Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Library in her honor. Christa's mother, Grace
Corrigan, still lives in Saxonville and gives presentations about Christa and
participates in special observances at Framingham State College, their alma
mater. There are several books about Christa and the Challenger disaster,
including Mrs. Corrigan's Journal for Christa Buy from Amazon.com
Sharon Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher to fly in space. Selected from among
more than 11,000 applicants from the education profession for entrance into the
astronaut ranks, McAuliffe had been born on September 2, 1948, the oldest child
of Edward and Grace Corrigan. Her father was at that time completing his
sophomore year at Boston College, but not long thereafter he took a job as an
assistant comptroller in a Boston department store and the family moved to the
Boston suburb of Framingham. As a youth she registered excitement over the
Apollo moon landing program, and wrote years later on her astronaut application
form that "I watched the Space Age being born and I would like to participate."
McAuliffe attended Framingham State College in her hometown, graduating in 1970.
A few weeks later she married her longstanding boyfriend, Steven McAuliffe, and
they moved to the Washington, DC, metropolitan area so Steven could attend
Georgetown Law School. She took a job teaching in the secondary schools,
specializing in American history and social studies. They stayed in the
Washington area for the next eight years, she teaching and completing an M.A.
from Bowie State University, in Maryland. They moved to Concord, New Hampshire,
in 1978 when Steven accepted a job as an assistant to the state attorney general.
Christa took a teaching post at Concord High School in 1982, and in 1984 learned
about NASA's efforts to locate an educator to fly on the Shuttle. The intent was
to find a gifted teacher who could communicate with students from space.
NASA selected McAuliffe for this position in the summer of 1984 and in the fall
she took a year-long leave of absence from teaching, during which time NASA
would pay her salary, and trained for an early 1986 Shuttle mission. She had an
immediate rapport with the media, and the teacher in space program received
tremendous popular attention as a result. It is in part because of the
excitement over McAuliffe's presence on the Challenger that the accident had
such a significant impact on the nation.
Christa attended Framingham High School and Marian High School in Framingham.
She lived in the Saxonville section of Framingham and often visited the
Saxonville branch of the Framingham Public Library. The branch was re-named the
Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Library in her honor. Christa's mother, Grace
Corrigan, still lives in Saxonville and gives presentations about Christa and
participates in special observances at Framingham State College, their alma
mater. There are several books about Christa and the Challenger disaster,
including Mrs. Corrigan's Journal for Christa Buy from Amazon.com