Sharon Christa Corrigan (1948 – 1986), born on September 2, 1948, was always interested in space. Christa, who would go by her middle name from an early age, was inspired by the Apollo moon landing program and by Project Mercury, and would eventually write on her NASA application “I watched the Space Age being born, and I would like to participate.” Born in Boston, her family moved to Framingham when she was a child. The Coorigan family lived on Joseph Road and Christa graduated from Marian High School in 1966. She would eventually receive her bachelor’s degree in history and education from Framingham State College. Though she never stopped being interested in space, McAuliffe began a career as a middle school civics teacher after marrying Steven J. McAuliffe in 1970 and was known for using field trips and speakers to actively engage her American history students.
Christa found the perfect opportunity to rekindle her passion for science and space exploration in 1984 when President Ronald Reagan announced the Teachers in Space Project. The program was used by NASA to send an “ordinary person”, the first civilian and teacher, into space. She became one of 11,000 applicants, and was ultimately chosen due to what a NASA official called her “infectious enthusiasm”. Taking a year off of teaching, Christa began her training and was set to perform various science experiments and even teach lessons in space, which would broadcast to millions of schoolchildren around the U.S.
In January of 1986, Christa, along with six other crew members, boarded the Challenger space shuttle. The shuttle took flight but broke apart 73 seconds after launching, resulting in the deaths of all the crew members. A commission organized to investigate the accident found that the shuttle had broken apart due to the poor design of the O-Rings, which were used to act as a pressure seal for the shuttle. Despite her untimely death, Christa’s legacy remains strong as she showed the value and importance of educators as well as the worth of following dreams and passions, no matter how unattainable they may seem. Many scholarships and buildings, including Framingham State’s McAuliffe Center, are named after Christa to honor her memory and courageous spirit, while furthering research of space. The Framingham History Center has one of Christa’s NASA uniforms on display, on loan from NASA.
Bibliography
“Christa McAuliffe.” Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 28 Apr. 2017. Web. 07 July 2017.