Christa McAuliffe
A high school teacher chosen to be the first ordinary citizen in space, whose story became a national lesson in courage and loss.
1948–1986 (age 38)·American teacher and astronaut·Birthday: September 2·Baby Boomers
Biography
Christa McAuliffe was a social studies teacher from New Hampshire with a vibrant, approachable energy that made her students believe history was happening around them. Her life changed when NASA, under President Reagan's initiative, selected her from over 11,000 applicants to be the first Teacher in Space. She saw the mission not as a personal triumph but as a conduit, planning to conduct lessons from orbit to demystify spaceflight for classrooms across America. Her infectious enthusiasm turned the Challenger launch into a shared educational event. The tragedy of January 28, 1986, which took her life and those of her six crewmates, shattered that promise but cemented her legacy as a symbol of aspiration. McAuliffe's story endures not for the frontier she reached, but for the classroom she never left, reminding us of the profound impact a dedicated teacher can have.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Christa was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Christa Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Christa's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Died at 38
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
Key Achievements
- Selected from more than 11,000 applicants to become NASA's first Teacher in Space in 1985.
- Was scheduled to teach two live lessons from the Space Shuttle Challenger to students worldwide.
- Posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 2004.
- Had numerous schools, planetariums, and an asteroid named in her honor.
Did You Know?
She was a dedicated educator who once said, 'I touch the future. I teach.'
Her undergraduate degree was in American History and Education from Framingham State College.
She was a contestant on the game show 'The Price Is Right' in the early 1970s, winning a small prize.
The Christa McAuliffe Planetarium in Concord, New Hampshire, is named for her.
“I touch the future. I teach.”
