On July 19, 1985, a high school teacher named Christa McAuliffe was selected to become the first American civilian to fly to space.
McAuliffe won NASA's Teacher in Space Project and was selected from more than 11,000 applicants to ride aboard the space shuttle Challenger. Vice President George H. W. Bush made the announcement on July 19, and McAuliffe spent the rest of the year training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Unfortunately, McAuliffe and her six crewmates were killed when the Challenger broke apart shortly after liftoff. Since then, dozens of learning institutions around the world have been named in her honor. She also has an asteroid, a moon crater and a crater on Venus named after her.
- Christa McAuliffe's Lost Challenger Lessons to be Taught on Space Station
- Lawmakers Propose Coin to Honor Christa McAuliffe, Fallen Teacher in Space
- Space History Photo: Christa McAuliffe Experiences Weightlessness During KC-135 Flight
Catch up on our entire "On This Day In Space" series on YouTube with the playlist here.
Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+.
