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In 1984 Concord High School social studies teacher Sharon Christa McAuliffe was selected from thousands of applicants to be the first civilian in space. Two years later, her life would tragically end as Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff. Although Christa McAuliffe died that day, her legacy has lived on. Today, many teachers use Christa’s philosophy of teaching in their classrooms, Challenger Learning Centers have popped up across the county to encourage today’s youth to get excited about space and last week, Barbara Morgan, the runner-up to Christa McAuliffe in 1984, became the second teacher in space, on board Shuttle Endeavour. In this installment of our 25 in 25 series, we’ll look back at the life and legacy of Christa McAuliffe.

Guests

• Mal Cameron: education specialist at the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium in Concord and coordinator of its Educator Resource Center
• Robert Veilleux: longtime science teacher at Manchester Central High School and current part-time educator at the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium. In 1984, Robert was the other New Hampshire finalist for the Teacher in Space Program.

We'll also hear from:

• Mary Liscombe: a college friend of Christa McAuliffe’s at Framingham State College and Associate Director of the Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Education and Teaching Excellence and the Christa McAuliffe Challenger Center at Framingham State College
• Phil Browne: semifinalist for the Teacher in Space program in 1984. At that time Phil taught at Goffstown High School and since 1987 has been teaching science at Concord High. From the tragedy and legacy of Christa McAuliffe, Phil became inspired to start the Forest Watch program at the University of New Hampshire, that helps students get inspired through science.