American astronaut and teacher, the first private citizen allowed into outer space via national selection and an instant celebrity in her connection to the fated expedition of the NASA spacecraft “Challenger.”
As the oldest of the five children born to Ed and Grace Corrigan, Sharon’s cheerful and helpful nature showed early as she became her mother’s right arm in helping to raise her four younger siblings in Framingham, MA. Her first introduction to NASA came on 5 May 1961 when astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space with his sub orbital flight of 15 minutes and 22 seconds. “I remember being in my home when the first satellites were launched. My parents were amazed, and I was caught up in their wonder. I remember when Alan Shepard made his historic flight- not even an orbit – and I was thrilled.”
After attending the local Roman Catholic High School, she set her sights on becoming a teacher and enrolled in the Education program at Framingham Community College. Upon graduation, she married her teenage sweetheart Steven McAuliffe on 23 August 1970. Armed with $500, the couple quickly moved to Washington DC where Steven studied law at Georgetown University and Christa taught American history, English and civics at a junior high school in suburban Maryland. By all accounts she was an exceptional teacher with a high I.Q. Her first child, Scott, was born September 1976 and two years later McAuliffe earned a Master’s Degree in Education Administration from Bowie State College in Maryland. Daughter Caroline arrived in August 1979 and by 1982, McAuliffe was teaching Social Studies at Concord High School in New Hampshire, where husband Steven was employed at a local law firm.
McAuliffe was widely known for her prodigious community efforts. In addition to volunteering as a Girl Scout Leader, a day care center worker and a fund raiser for a hospital, she adopted an underprivileged child every summer who lived with her family as part of a program called “A Better Chance.” When a troubled girl called her one night and said she was thinking of suicide, McAuliffe invited her to her home, where she watched the girl through the night as she slept in the bunk bed below her son.
Chosen on 19 July 1985 out of 11,000 applicants for space flight for a non-astronaut, McAuliffe spent 120 days training in Houston ,Texas for the historic event. After four major delays for launching due to technical difficulties, McAuliffe telephoned her mother on the evening of 27 January 1986 to say, “Mom, we’re taking off tomorrow morning no matter what.”
The Challenger lifted off the following morning from Cape Kennedy, Florida. The blastoff was watched by her husband and two children, Scott, age nine, and Caroline, age six, as well as her parents and sister. Eight miles up and traveling just under 2,000 miles an hour, the Challenger exploded one minute and twelve seconds after the 11:39 AM EST liftoff on 28 January 1986, killing all six on board. McAuliffe was 37 years old.
McAuliffe’s legacy has grown each year after her passing with schools and scholarships named in her honor.
Link to Wikipedia biography