McAuliffe was born Sharon Christa Corrigan
Christa McAuliffe
Sharon Christa McAuliffe was an American teacher and astronaut from Concord, New Hampshire, and one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
Framingham
Framingham is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is within Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers 25 square miles with a population of 68,318 in 2010…
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Who were Christa McAuliffe siblings?
Did Christa McAuliffe's husband remarry?
How much was Christa McAuliffe's family?
Did the Challenger families receive compensation?
What were the last words of the Challenger crew?
Where is Christa McAuliffe husband now?
Was the Challenger crew alive when they hit water?
Were the remains of the Challenger crew recovered?
Did Challenger astronauts families sue NASA?
Did Columbia crew know what was happening?
How much were the families of the Challenger explosion?
Did Christa McAuliffe have life insurance?
Where was Christa McAuliffe born?
Early Life. Born Sharon Christa Corrigan on September 2, 1948, in Boston, Massachusetts, Christa McAuliffe was the first of five children born to Edward and Grace Corrigan. When she was 5, she and her family moved to Framingham, Massachusetts. An adventurous child, McAuliffe grew up in a quiet, suburban neighborhood during the space age.
When did McAuliffe graduate from high school?
McAuliffe graduated from Marian High School in 1966 and enrolled at Framingham State College, where she studied American history and education. She received a bachelor's degree in 1970 and married Steven McAuliffe soon after. The couple had met and fallen in love during their high school days.
What was the name of the planetarium named after Christa Corrigan McAuliffe?
After her death, this courageous educator received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. As a tribute to her memory, a planetarium in Concord was named after her, as well as an asteroid and a crater on the moon. In addition, the Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center at Framingham State College was established to carry on her legacy and support the advancement of educational practices throughout the region.
Why did McAuliffe want to go on a field trip?
She believed that by participating in the mission she could help students better understand space and how NASA works. One of the more difficult aspects of the program was leaving her family for extensive training.
When did McAuliffe start teaching in space?
In 1981 , when the first space shuttle circled the earth, McAuliffe made sure her students took notes. Three years later, President Ronald Reagan and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced a bold new program, the Teacher in Space Project.
Where did McAuliffe's kids go to watch the space shuttle?
On January 28, 1986, McAuliffe's friends and family, including her two children, anxiously watched and waited for the Challenger space shuttle to take off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Her students in Concord also tuned in with the rest of the country to watch the history-making space expedition.
Who is the wife of the famous actress who was married in 1970?
She received a bachelor's degree in 1970 and married Steven McAuliffe soon after. The couple had met and fallen in love during their high school days. Around this time, McAuliffe began her career as an educator, teaching American history and English to junior high school students in Maryland.
Who was Christa McAuliffe?
Christa McAuliffe. Sharon Christa McAuliffe (née Corrigan; September 2, 1948 – January 28, 1986) was an American teacher and astronaut from Concord, New Hampshire, who died during the destruction of Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L where she was serving as a payload specialist. She received her bachelor's degree in education ...
What is the middle name of Christa McAuliffe?
She was known by her middle name from an early age, although in later years she signed her name "S. Christa Corrigan", and eventually "S. Christa McAuliffe". The year she was born, her father was completing his sophomore year at Boston College.
What is the Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference?
The Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference has been held in Nashua, New Hampshire, every year since 1986, and is devoted to the use of technology in all aspects of education. The Nebraska McAuliffe Prize honors a Nebraska teacher each year for courage and excellence in education. Grants in her name, honoring innovative teachers, are provided by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the National Council for the Social Studies.
How many children did McAuliffe have?
They had two children, Scott and Caroline, who were nine and six, respectively, when she died. McAuliffe was a teacher at Concord High School in New Hampshire. She obtained her first teaching position in 1970, as an American history teacher at Benjamin Foulois Junior High School in Morningside, Maryland.
Where is Christa McAuliffe buried?
She has since been honored at many events, including the Daytona 500 NASCAR race in 1986. The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord , the Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Education and Teaching Excellence at Framingham State University and the S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary School in Lowell, Massachusetts were named in her memory, as are the asteroid 3352 McAuliffe, the crater McAuliffe on the Moon, and a crater on the planet Venus, which was named McAuliffe by the Soviet Union. Approximately 40 schools around the world have been named after her, including the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center in Pleasant Grove, Utah.
When will the Christa McAuliffe coins be minted?
The coins were minted in 2021.
Where is McAuliffe inducted into the Hall of Fame?
In 2017, McAuliffe was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum. In 2015, Christa was named in the Frank Turner song "Silent Key", recounting the flight of the Challenger and its crew.
Who is Christa McAuliffe's husband?
Cheering her on from the ground when the Challenger went into space were McAuliffe’s husband Steven and her two children, Scott and Caroline. Christa Corrigan met Steven McAuliffe in high school, according to Biography, and they were married right after graduating from college. After undergrad, Steve McAuliffe went to Georgetown University Law School; they eventually moved to New Hampshire because he took a job as an assistant to the New Hampshire Attorney General. Christa McAuliffe was hired to teach at Concord High School in 1983.
How many children did the McAuliffes have?
The McAuliffes had two children — Scott, who was 9 at the time of the explosion that killed his mother, and Caroline, who was 6.
Where is the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center?
She also worked with Framingham State to establish the Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Integrated Science and Learning at Framingham State University, according to the Boston Globe, and dedicated the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord to her daughter’s memory, the Concord Monitor reported.
Where did Steve McAuliffe go to law school?
After undergrad, Steve McAuliffe went to Georgetown University Law School; they eventually moved to New Hampshire because he took a job as an assistant to the New Hampshire Attorney General. Christa McAuliffe was hired to teach at Concord High School in 1983. When she was chosen for the NASA program, Christa said, “As the first space participant, ...
Did McAuliffe's family react to the explosion?
Following the explosion, McAuliffe’s family did not react publicly to the tragedy, until a year later, when Christopher Corrigan told the Associated Press (via the Los Angeles Times) that he thought NASA exploited his sister for the sake of publicity.
Did Caroline McAuliffe attend the 30th anniversary of the murder of her mother?
Caroline and Steven McAuliffe chose not to attend, according to the Daily Mail. But Scott and Caroline McAuliffe both became teachers like their mother, and Steven McAuliffe is now a federal judge. On the 30th anniversary, according to CBS News, he issued a statement that read:
Who is Christa McAuliffe's mother?
Christa McAuliffe's mother, Grace George Corrigan, died last week at the age of 94. Her death on Nov. 8 came 32 years after the loss of her daughter, who was among the crew members killed when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after takeoff on Jan. 28, 1986. Corrigan's passing also comes 28 years after the passing of her husband, ...
What did Christa McAuliffe do?
She traveled widely, talking with children and adults all over the U.S. about Christa McAuliffe's mission, space exploration and working hard to achieve one's dreams. "She was a wonderful friend to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center," said Discovery Center Executive Director Jeanne Gerulskis.
Who are the parents of Christa McAuliffe?
Ed and Grace Corrigan, parents of Christa McAuliffe, meet with reporters at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Friday, Jan. 24, 1986. McAuliffe is part of the crew for Sunday?s scheduled launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger. (AP Photo/Paul Kizzle) Paul Kizzle. The family of Christa McAuliffe, a teacher who was America's first civilian astronaut, ...
Who is Christa McAuliffe's mom?
Grace Corrigan, Christa McAuliffe’s mom, lived up to her name. Grace Corrigan, the late mother of teacher and astronaut Christa McAuliffe, stands with a mural honoring her daughter on Jan. 24, 1996, in Boston. AP file.
What is the story about Grace?
The story about the public speaker, traveling the country to stress the importance of well-funded school systems. The story about Grace.
When did Grace meet Christa?
She first met Grace in May of 1999, when the United States Postal Service unveiled a series of framed stamps honoring Christa and presented them to the space center here.
What planetarium was named after Christa and Christa alone?
Gerulskis remembered when the idea surfaced to change the planetarium, named after Christa and Christa alone, to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center. Gerulskis wondered what Grace would think about the change. She knew Grace was scheduled to be here for a separate event.
When did Christa McAuliffe die?
Image Credit: Netflix. When Christa McAuliffe passed away as the shuttle exploded on January 28, 1986, she was the mother of two young children: Scott, who was 9 at the time, and Caroline, who was 6.
Where did Christa and Caroline live?
Then, after the family moved to New Hampshire and she landed a teaching position in Concord, the couple welcomed their second child, Caroline. Christa had been fascinated with space and its correlation with education for quite some time, so when the opportunity arose for someone to teach from space, she applied.
How long has Steve McAuliffe been a judge?
Bush to have a seat on the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. He was confirmed by the Senate in October and received the commission that same month. Following that, he served as Chief Judge from 2004-2011, ultimately assuming the position of Senior Judge on April 1, 2013. Currently, at the age of 72 , Steve McAuliffe continues to keep the memories of his former wife alive by serving as the Founding Director for the Challenger Center for Space Science Education. As for their children, they are all grown up now, in their 40s, and have also moved on with their lives.
Why did Caroline want her mother to stay at home with her?
Caroline wanted her mother to stay at home with her so that nothing wrong could happen. But, it did, in the worst of ways.
Where did Scott and Christa go to high school?
Back when Christa and Steve were in high school – Marian High School in Framingham, Massachusetts – they met and fell in love with each other.
When did Christa and Scott get married?
They stayed together all through college, and shortly after they earned their Bachelor’s degree in 1970, they got married. In 1976, while Christa was pursuing her master’s degree in education from Bowie State College, she gave birth to their first child, Scott.

Overview
Legacy
McAuliffe was buried at Blossom Hill Cemetery in her hometown, Concord. She has since been honored at many events, including the Daytona 500 NASCAR race in 1986. The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, the Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Education and Teaching Excellence at Framingham State University and the S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary School i…
Early life
Sharon Christa Corrigan was born on September 2, 1948, in Boston as the oldest of the five children of accountant Edward Christopher Corrigan (1922–1990), who was of Irish descent; and Grace Mary Corrigan (1924–2018; née George), a substitute teacher, whose father was of Lebanese Maronite descent. McAuliffe was a great niece of Lebanese-American historian Philip Khuri Hitti. She was k…
Teacher in Space Project
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan announced the Teacher in Space Project, and Christa learned about NASA's efforts to find their first civilian, an educator, to fly into space. NASA wanted to find an "ordinary person," a gifted teacher who could communicate with students while in orbit. McAuliffe became one of more than 11,000 applicants.
Disaster and aftermath
On January 28, 1986, McAuliffe boarded Challenger with the other six crew members of STS-51-L. Seventy-three seconds into its flight at an altitude of 48,000 ft (14.630 km), the shuttle broke apart, resulting in the deaths of all seven crew members.
According to NASA, it was in part because of the excitement over her presenc…
Notes
1. ^ "Astronaut Biographies: Space Flight Participant". NASA/Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. December 5, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2009.
2. ^ "Biographical data" (PDF).
3. ^ Hohler, Robert T. (1986). "I Touch the Future ..." The Story of Christa McAuliffe. New York, NY: Random House. ISBN 0-394-55721-2.
Further reading
• Washington Post Staff (1986). Challengers: The Inspiring Life Stories of the Seven Brave Astronauts of Shuttle Mission 51-L. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-62897-6..
External links
• Official NASA biography
• Christa's Lost Lessons
• The Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Collection at the Henry Whittemore Library in Framingham State College
• Christa McAuliffe at IMDb