On January 28, 1986, the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster claimed the lives of seven astronauts and changed America’s space program forever.
Mission STS-51-L was NASA’s 25th space shuttle mission, and it was due to make history by taking the first teacher into space. Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from Concord, New Hampshire, was chosen to join the mission. She was going to conduct experiments, give lessons from space, and observe Halley’s Comet. She, along with astronauts Commander Dick Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialists Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnik and Ronald E. McNair, and Payload Specialist Gregory Jarvis, all died when a structural failure caused the shuttle to explode less than two minutes after takeoff.
2021 marks the 35th anniversary of the tragedy, and we encourage teachers to take the opportunity to reflect on the events with students.
The Challenger Center, an educational non-profit established by the families of the Challenger crew, offers online STEM/STEAM lessons and other educational resources for young students. You can visit the Challenger Center online by clicking here.
Netflix offers a documentary series, “Challenger: The Final Flight,” which documents the tragedy and aftermath. It carries a TV-14 rating for language and is not recommended for young children.
NASA has posted a podcast remembering the Challenger events. You can listen to it by clicking right here.