Slated to be the first teacher, and the first civilian in space, Crista McAuliffe was one of seven crew members of the space shuttle Challenger, which exploded 73 seconds after liftoff in January 1986.
According to NASA, the explosion was caused by leaks in two solid rocket boosters, which caused the liquid fuel tank to catch fire. Faulty O-rings were said to be the culprit.
McAuliffe was chosen from 11,000 applicants for this mission. She was a social studies teacher in Concord, New Hampshire, and, cheerful and photogenic, had become popular with the media that covered the launch.
All aboard the Challenger under the command of astronaut Dick Scobee were killed instantly in the explosion. Since that time, roughly 40 schools have been named for McAuliffe.
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