New Hampshire's congressional delegation is proposing the creation of a commemorative coin to honor Christa McAuliffe, the Concord High School teacher who died in the NASA space shuttle Challenger disaster 33 years ago.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan introduced legislation Monday to create a $1 coin to raise money for the FIRST Robotics program, while Reps. Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas introduced a House version of the bill. They said the coin would both honor McAuliffe and reaffirm Congress' commitment to invest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education.
Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, meanwhile, named Monday "Christa McAuliffe Day."
McAuliffe would have been NASA's first designated teacher in space. She and six crewmates were killed when the Challenger broke apart shortly after takeoff on Jan. 28, 1986.
Shaheen, with former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, drafted similar legislation in the past.
