Christa McAuliffe

Hello! My name is Christa McAuliffe. I was a teacher who had a very big dream: to go to space! I was born on September 2nd, 1948, in Boston, Massachusetts. When I was a teenager in the 1960s, America was in a 'Space Race' to explore the stars, and I was fascinated. I remember watching astronaut John Glenn become the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962. It made me feel that anything was possible, and I carried that feeling with me as I grew up.

Even though I loved watching the rockets, my first dream was to be a teacher. I went to college and graduated in 1970, ready to start my career. I taught history and social studies to middle and high school students. I didn't want my classes to be boring! I loved finding creative ways to make history feel alive for my students, like having them pretend to be people from the past. My motto was simple: 'I touch the future. I teach.' I believed that teachers help shape the world, one student at a time.

One day in 1984, I heard some amazing news. NASA, the American space agency, announced a new program called the Teacher in Space Project. They were looking for one regular teacher to fly on the Space Shuttle! I knew I had to apply. I thought of it as the ultimate field trip. I filled out the long application, writing about my dream to keep a journal in space, just like the pioneers who explored the American West. I wanted to show my students, and students everywhere, that ordinary people could do extraordinary things.

You can imagine my surprise and joy when, on July 19th, 1985, I was chosen from more than 11,000 teachers! I was going to be the first teacher in space. I spent months training with the other astronauts for our mission on the Space Shuttle Challenger. I learned all about living in zero gravity and prepared special lessons I would teach from orbit. I planned to show everyone how a magnet works in space and talk about the future of space travel. I was so excited to share this adventure with the world.

On January 28th, 1986, I boarded the Space Shuttle Challenger with my six crewmates. Our journey to the stars began, but it ended tragically and unexpectedly just moments after liftoff. I lived to be 37 years old. Even though my mission didn't go as planned, my story didn't end that day. People remember my passion for teaching and my adventurous spirit. I hope my dream inspires you to learn, to explore, and to always reach for your own stars, no matter how far away they seem.