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S ONE OF her training exercises in becoming the first teacher astronaut,Christa McAuliffe had to curl up

inside a 36-inch-diameter nylon ball. Whenshe was zipped up, she found herself intotal darkness. She didn’t know when she’dbe let out. Christa wore electrodes andtransmitters to see how she would react tobeing closed in, since on the space shuttleshe’d have to share a living space thatmeasured only 10 by 13 feet (the size of herkitchen) with six people, and she and theother astronauts would eat, sleep, go tothe bathroom, work, and relax there; it wasno place for someone with claustrophobia.

Christa thought she would start yellingand try to claw her way out, but she layback, folded her arms across her stomach,and imagined herself floating in space. As

A

Christa McAuliffe

a result, the 15 minutes she spent insidethe nylon ball were very peaceful. At theend of the exercise, she asked if she couldtake the ball home. “When things start toget crazy, I can just set the timer and tellthe kids, ‘O.K., Mom’s going into thesphere now.’”

Christa, a high-school social studiesteacher from New Hampshire, first heardabout the teacher astronaut program on the radio while driving with her husband,Steve. The smile that lit Christa’s facetold Steve she was interested. “Go for it,”he said. When she put off filling out the

Christa McAuliffe, Teacher Astronaut

by Catherine Jones

Women astronauts stand with the Personal RescueEnclosure (the rescue ball). FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:Margaret R. Seddon, Kathryn D. Sullivan, Judith A.Resnick, Sally K. Ride, Anna Fisher, Shannon Lucid

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25-page application, he gently encouragedher to finish it on time.

More than 11,000 teachers across thenation applied for the position. Selectioncommittees in each state, as well as fromthe Bureau of Indian Affairs and overseasschools, were to choose two candidateswho had the qualities of a “teachernaut”:they must have taught at least five years, begifted communicators, strong role models,and able to handle the media invasion.Christa was unanimously voted one ofNew Hampshire’s candidates.

In June 1985, the 113 semifinalists ar-rived in Washington, D.C., and spent sevendays attending workshops and press con-ferences. They also talked with judgesfrom a panel that included astronauts,

professors, an inventor, a rocket scientist,even an actress and a basketball star (becauseof their experience in handling publicity).These judges had to pick ten finalists. Theychose Christa because of her enthusiasm,her speaking ability, and her realistic projectfor the shuttle: writing a journal to commu-nicate the space experience to students andhistorians.

One week later, the ten finalists re-ported to Johnson Space Center in Houstonfor physical and psychological testing;NASA (the National Aeronautics andSpace Administration) wanted to makesure they were “fit” for space travel. Theywere also given a taste of the astronauts’training program, which included a ridein the “vomit comet” (a jet that used a

Christa experiences non-gravity in

the “vomit comet.”

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special flight pattern to simulate the G-forces of liftoff and landing, as well asprovide 20–30 seconds of weightlessness).

Christa felt like a lab rat after answeringalmost 700 medical questions, submittingto blood tests, x-rays, a treadmill test, acomplete physical exam, and having everyinch of her body measured. “They evenknow the height of my bellybutton,” shesaid. And though she experienced motionsickness on the “vomit comet,” she wasn’tthe only one who did.

During her 45-minute interview withtop NASA officials, Christa proved herworth. She was the only candidate whounderstood what they were looking for:a person who could communicate to stu-dents and other teachers her excitementabout the space program. The judges’ votewas unanimous—Christa would be thefirst teacher in space.

In the months before liftoff, Christatrained at NASA, far away from her hus-band and children. She and Steve hadbeen sweethearts since their sophomoreyear in high school. They married aftergraduating from college and had twoyoung children: Scott, age nine, and six-year-old Caroline.

Because of limited space on the shuttle,each crew member could bring only 20personal items—the total had to weighless than 1 1/2 pounds and fit into a smallstorage tray. Among other things, Christatook Steve’s college ring and Caroline’scross and chain given to her at birth. Scottwanted Christa to take his favorite stuffedfrog, Fleegle, into space. NASA said O.K.,as long as its insides were removed and

The Challenger before liftoff

the frog was vacuum-packed. NASA alsoallowed Christa to take two T-shirts towear besides her official shuttle wardrobe;one said, I Touch the Future—I Teach.

The morning of 28 January 1986 dawnedclear and cold at the Kennedy Space Cen-ter in Florida. Mission Commander DickScobee, an experienced Air Force pilot,said, “My kind of weather. What a greatday for flying!” Despite the frigid air, a lotof people came to watch the Challenger’s

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liftoff, including Steve, Scott,Caroline, Christa’s parents,and many schoolchildren.

Though a shuttle had neverbeen launched in such coldtemperatures before, NASAdecided to go ahead. The flighthad already been delayed fourtimes, and nobody wanted toput off the event any longer.Before Christa boarded, one ofthe ground crew tried to giveher an apple. She said, “Saveit for me, and I’ll eat it when I get back.”

Because a teacher was partof the mission, schoolchildrenacross the country watched thecountdown on TV. At 11:38 A.M.,Eastern Standard Time, millionsof voices chanted: “Ten . . . nine. . . eight . . . seven . . . six . . .” At six sec-onds, the three main engines at the backof the orbiter ignited. “Five . . . four . . .three . . . two . . . one . . . liftoff!” The twosolid rocket boosters roared to life andlaunched the Challenger heavenward.

None of the crew knew the dangersof launching on such a cold day. Themetal joints of the two rockets used toboost the orbiter into space were sealedwith rubber O-rings that contracted in thecold, icy weather. If the temperature hadbeen warmer, the O-rings would haveexpanded to their normal shape, sealingthe joints so no fuel could leak.

Not until later did anyone realize thesignificance of the thick, black smoke com-ing from a joint in the right solid rocket

booster. The O-ring was leaking liquidhydrogen and oxygen. This dangerousmixture caught fire, damaging the fueltank and causing it to explode.

The only hint that the crew mighthave recognized the danger came fromChallenger’s pilot, Michael Smith. A milli-second before the explosion, Smith’s voicewas recorded as saying, “Uh-oh.” Theshuttle was just 73 seconds into its flightand nearly nine miles high when a white-orange fireball lit the sky.

The cheers of the spectators turned tosilence. At first, no one realized whathad happened. They had just witnessedthe worst disaster in NASA’s history.

The tragic Challenger explosion

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The Challenger’s crew members (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT STARTING WITH THE TOP ROW): Ellison S. Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory B. Janis, Judith A. Resnik, Michael J. Smith, Francis R. Scobee, Ronald E. McNair

a reporter that people often said, “I reallyadmire what you’re doing, but I wouldn’twant to do it.” Christa couldn’t under-stand that attitude. “If you had a chance,”she said, “wouldn’t you want to do it?”

Christa’s legacy lives on to this day inthe many schools, scholarships, and monu-ments that bear her name. But ChristaMcAuliffe’s greatest legacy is the fulfill-ment of her ultimate goal as a teacher: totouch the future by inspiring generationsof students to set high goals for them-selves, to work hard at achieving thosegoals, and to believe that they can reachthe stars.

Fragments of the shuttle rained into theAtlantic Ocean for more than an hour.Not until 38 days later were the shuttlecabin and the crew’s remains raised fromthe ocean floor.

Across the nation, flags were loweredto half-mast in honor of the five men andtwo women whose lives and dreams hadbeen so suddenly ended. The loss of theastronauts, especially the smiling, eager“teachernaut,” filled the country withsadness.

Christa McAuliffe understood the risksof space travel and still chose to be apart of Challenger’s mission. She once told

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