Challenger

"We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, as they 'slipped the surly bond of Earth...

to touch the face of God.'"

-President Ronald Reagan

January 28, 1986

On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger lifted off into a clear blue sky. 73 seconds later, the shuttle exploded, killing all seven astronauts aboard.

The women of Challenger:

CHRISTA McAULIFFE:

http://www.starhop.com/cm_bio.htm , www.nasa.gov

Christa McAuliffe, America's first "Teacher in Space," was one of the astronauts aboard Challenger. Selected from over 11,000 applicants across the country, Christa brought a large amount of publicity to the flight. She would have been the first "civilian" to fly aboard the space shuttle. As she put it, "A lot of people thought it was over when we reached the Moon. They put space on the back burner. But people have a connection with teachers. Now that a teacher has been selected, they are starting to watch the launches again."

Christa was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, on September 2, 1948. Her parents were Edward and Grace Corrigan. Christa met her future husband, Steve McAuliffe, while still in high school. They were married in 1970, after Christa had attended Framingham State College, earning a bachelor's degree in history.

After they were married, Christa and Steve moved to Washington DC, where Steve went to law school. Christa taught school until she and Steve had a son, Scott. She then attended Bowie State College and earned a master's in school administration. Once Steve earned his degree they moved to Condord, New Hampshire, and settled into a three-story home. Steve began his law practice and Christa stayed at home taking care of Scott, and, eventually, their daughter Caroline.

When the "Teacher in Space" applications came out, Christa waited until the last minute to submit the 11-page document. Even after she became a finalist, she didn't think that she would be chosen. Yet she was, out of 11,500 applicants. "An ordinary person - to whom ordinary people could relate - doing the extraordinary."

She reported for NASA training in September of 1985, with the flight only 5 months away, and expected to have to prove herself to the other astronauts. She was worried that the others would think she was just "along for the ride," and eager to prove that she, too, had "the right stuff." Not surprisingly, the rest of the crew had no trouble adapting to her presence, and quickly adopted her as one of their own.

On January 28, 1986, Christa flew on the space shuttle Challenger.

 

JUDY RESNIK:

www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/resnik.html

Judy Resnik as born on April 5, 1949, in Akron, Ohio. After graduating from Firestone High School in Akron, Judy enrolled at Carnegie-Mellon University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. She earned her doctorate in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland in 1970.

After earning her degrees, Dr. Resnik worked as a design engineer for RCA. Her work included circuit design and development of custom integrated circuitry for phased-array radar control systems, as well as support work for NASA sounding rockets and telemetry.

Judy was one of the original six women selected to the astronaut corps. She completed the standard 1-year training period, then worked on several projects during orbiter development including experiment software, the Remote Manipulator System (better known the the shuttle's "mechanical arm"), and training procedures. Her first mission was the maiden flight of the space shuttle Discovery in 1984, STS 41-D. During this seven-day mission, Judy and her crewmates succeeded in activating the OAST-1 solar cell wing experiment, deployed three satellites (SBS-D, SYNCOM IV-2, and TELSTAR 3-C), operated a student crystal growth experiment, and recorded IMAX images for an upcoming NASA feature, "The Dream is Alive." The crew also earned the nickname "Icebusters" when they used the Remote Manipulator System to break potentially harmful ice crystals off of the shuttle. She was awarded the NASA Space Flight Medal after her flight.

STS 51-L, Challenger, was Judy's second flight. In 2003 she was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.