This presentation was created to celebrate and honor the 25th Anniversary of the Challenger Mission/Tragedy January 28, 1986. Many of the training photos of Christa are used courtesy of NASA. For more information, contact Colleen Previte - Archivist - Framingham State University cprevite@framingham.edu

1. On the 25th Anniversary of the
Challenger Mission – STS-51L
January 28, 1986

3. On July 19, 1985 Vice
President George Bush
announced that Sharon
Christa McAuliffe had
been chosen out of
11,500 applicants to
represent the U.S. as
the first Citizen in
Space, in what NASA
called the “Teacher in
Space Program”. From
that point on America
fell in love with
Christa and were eager
to take the ultimate
field trip into space
with her!

4. July 21, 1985
Metrowest Daily
News

5. Christa McAuliffe
worked at
Concord High
School from 1982-
1985. She taught
courses in
economics, law,
American history,
and a course she
developed entitled
“The American
Woman,” 10th,
11th, and 12th
grade.

6. October 1985
Johnson Space Center
Houston, Texas
STS 51-L Training --- Astronaut
Francis R. Scobee, 51-L Commander,
briefs Payload Specialist Sharon
Christa McAuliffe about some of the
flight systems of the space Shuttle
during a training session in the
Johnson Space Center’s Shuttle
Mission Simulator (SMS). McAuliffe
is a teacher from Concord, New
Hampshire, selected earlier this year
to be America’s first citizen/observer
in space. The photograph was taken
by Michael O’Brien of Life Magazine.
NASA – National Aeronautics and
Space Administration Photo

7. January 1986
Johnson Space Center
Houston, Texas
(Release date)
STS 51-L Training --- Sharon Christa
McAuliffe, 51-L payload specialist
representing the Teacher in Space
Project, descends from a mockup of the
Shuttle using a Sky-genie device
during an emergency training session
in the Johnson Space Center’s mockup
and integration laboratory. The photo
was taken by Keith Meyers of the New
York Times.
Photo NASA – National Aeronautics
and Space Administration

8. Official Crew
Members STS-51L
Front Row left to
right: Pilot: Michael
J. Smith,
Commander:
Francis R. Scobee,
Mission Specialist:
Ronald E. McNair.
Back Row: Mission
Specialist Ellison
Onizuka, Payload
Specialists: Christa
McAuliffe, Gregory
P. Jarvis, Mission
Specialist: Judith A.
Resnik

9. December 1985
Johnson Space Center
Houston, Texas
STS 51-L Teacher and
Backup --- Sharon Christa
McAuliffe (left), from
Concord, New Hampshire,
and Barbara R. Morgan of
McCall, Idaho, have been
named NASA Teacher in
Space Project prime and
backup payload
specialists, respectively,
for the first citizen
observer position of the
STS program, scheduled
for a Challenger flight in
January 1986.
NASA – National
Aeronautics and Space
Administration Photo Barbara Morgan’s dream of successfully reaching space in 2007 on STS-134
Space Shuttle Endeavour Mission.

10. January 28, 1986
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
STS 51-L Breakfast --- Crew members
of Space Shuttle mission 51-L are seated
for breakfast launch morning in the
Operations and Checkout Building
prior to liftoff of the orbiter Challenger
scheduled for 9:22 a.m. The launch was
scheduled for January 27, 1986 but was
delayed 24 hours due to unacceptable
cross winds.
Crew members are left to right: Mission
Specialist Ellison Onizuka; Payload
Specialist Christa McAuliffe; Pilot
Michael J. Smith; Commander Francis
R. Scobee; Mission Specialist Judith A.
Resnik; Mission Specialist Ronald E.
McNair; and Payload Specialist
Gregory P. Jarvis.
NASA – National Aeronautics and Space
Administration Photo

11. January 28, 1986
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
STS 51-L Walk-Out --- Crew members of Space
Shuttle Mission 51-L walk out of the Operations
and Checkout Building on their way to Pad-39B
where they will board the orbiter Challenger.
The seven member crew along with the Tracking
and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) is scheduled for
liftoff at 9:38am. This will be the first launch
from Pad B in over ten years. The launch was
scheduled for January 27, 1986 but was delay 24
hours due to unacceptable cross winds.
Crew members from front to back are:
Commander Francis R. Scobee; Mission
Specialists Judith A. Resnik and Ronald E.
McNair; Pilot Michael J. Smith; Payload
Specialist Christa McAuliffe; Mission Specialist
Ellison Onizuka; and Payload Specialist Gregory
P. Jarvis.
NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Photo

12. January 28, 1986
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
STS 51-L Launch View --- The
space Shuttle Challenger lifted
off from Pad 39B January 28, 1986
at 11:38am EST with a crew of
seven astronauts and the
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite
(TDRS). An accident 73 seconds
after liftoff claimed both crew
and vehicle.
NASA – National Aeronautics and
Space Administration Photo

13. January 31, 1986
Johnson Space Center Houston,
Texas
51-L Memorial Services ---
President Ronald Reagan tells a
large turnout of JSC employees
and family and friends of the
51-L crewmembers about their
accomplishments and sacrifices
during memorial services held
four days following the
Challenger accident at KSC.
“They slipped the surly bonds
of earth to touch the face of
God,” the Chief Executive told
the thousands gathered on the
central mall at JSC.
Photo NASA – National Aeronautics
and Space Administration

14. Honor Guard for
Christa – A military
honor guard stands
at attention as
bearers carry the
remains of teacher
and astronaut
Christa McAuliffe
to be prepared for
burial. Funeral
Services for the
former Framingham
resident were
private.

17. The primary purpose of the Christa
McAuliffe Center is to support teachers
in their work. We do this by offering
exciting science and math
programs designed for both students
and teachers, all closely based on the
Massachusetts Science and
Technology/Engineering Curriculum
Frameworks.
Some of these programs are created
onsite to fulfill educational needs specific
to Massachusetts educators. Others are
part of networks that impact hundreds of
thousands of students and teachers
across the US, Canada, and the UK.
The Christa McAuliffe Center was
established on the campus of
Framingham State University to continue
the educational mission which was the
For More information:
life work of FSU's most notable graduate,
http://www.christa.org/main_page.htm
Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe.

18. The materials in the Christa Corrigan McAuliffe
Collection document the extensive coverage of the
Teacher in Space program established by NASA, as
well as materials relating to the educational mission
inspired by Christa Corrigan McAuliffe. The
collection includes a sampling of Christa’s personal
papers and memorabilia. The majority of the
McAuliffe Collection includes media coverage of the
Challenger mission, tributes and memorials to Christa
and Challenger, and schools and scholarships
established in her name. The bulk of the collection
dates from 1986 to the present.
The Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Collection was donated to the
Henry Whittemore Library at Framingham State University in
January 2000 by Grace Corrigan, Christa’s mother.
For more information on the Christa Corrigan
McAuliffe Archival Collections feel free to contact:
Colleen Previte – Archivist/Special Collections
Librarian cprevite@framingham.edu or
http://www.framingham.edu/henry-whittemore-
library/curriculum-library-archives-and-special- Portrait of Christa McAuliffe by
collections/christa-mcauliffe.html artist Mel Bolden