Sharon Christa McAuliff
Teacher, Astronaut
1948-1986
"Any dream can come true if you have the courage to work for it."
Sharon Christa McAuliff was born on September 2, l948, in Boston, Massachusetts. She graduated from Framingham State College in 1970 and taught American history in Maryland. She received a master's degree in education in 1978 from Bowie State College in Maryland. After her husband, Steven McAuliff, completed law school, they moved to Concord, New Hampshire where Christa taught history at Concord High School. Christa and her husband had two children--Scott and Caroline. Family, Girl Scouts, church and athletics were important to Christa throughout her life.
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NASA's plans to have a teacher be the first civilian to fly on a Space Shuttle started in August of 1984. The intent was to find a gifted teacher who could communicate with students from space. Over 11,000 teachers applied for this opportunity. On July 19, 1985, it was announced that Christa had been chosen for the Teacher in Space Program and she started her training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Christa's goals included keeping a journal of her experience to share with others (especially school children) so that she could "demystify NASA and space flight." She also planned to teach a series of lessons to be broadcast live from space. |
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