Who was 1st Teacher in Space?

Christa McAuliffe
On January 28, 1986, the morning was colder than normal which caused the O-ring on the solid rocket booster to fail allowing vapor to leak which lead to the disintegration of the shuttle. On board that day was the First Teacher in Space, Christa McAuliffe.

What happened to the first teacher in space?

These were then trained for a time, and in 1985 NASA selected Christa McAuliffe to be the first teacher in space, with Barbara Morgan as her backup. She planned to teach two 15-minute lessons from the Space Shuttle. McAuliffe died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (STS-51-L) on January 28, 1986.

Did Barbara Morgan ever fly in space?

Morgan was selected as a mission specialist in 1998, and flew into space aboard Endeavour in 2007 with STS-118, an assembly mission to the International Space Station (ISS). In August of 2008, Morgan retired from NASA.

Who did Christa McAuliffe inspire?

Carrying Forward Christa’s Legacy Among those she inspired is New Hampshire-based inventor Dean Kamen, who just a few years later founded FIRST to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators.

Who was the 1st American in space?

Alan B. Shepard
The Soviets won the race in April 1961 when cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin completed a single orbit around the Earth aboard his Vostok capsule. On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard became the first American in space during a suborbital flight aboard his Mercury capsule named Freedom 7.

Who was the alternate teacher on Challenger?

Barbara Radding Morgan
Barbara Radding Morgan (born November 28, 1951) is an American teacher and a former NASA astronaut. She participated in the Teacher in Space program as backup to Christa McAuliffe for the 1986 ill-fated STS-51-L mission of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

Did a teacher go into space?

A high school teacher, Christa McAuliffe made history when she became the first American civilian selected to go into space in 1985. On January 28, 1986, McAuliffe boarded the Challenger space shuttle in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The shuttle exploded shortly after lift-off, killing everyone on board.

Was Christa McAuliffe a high school teacher?

A high school teacher, Christa McAuliffe made history when she became the first American civilian selected to go into space in 1985. On January 28, 1986, McAuliffe boarded the Challenger space shuttle in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Who was the first teacher to go to space?

While McAuliffe was trained to become the first teacher in space, Morgan, as her backup, trained right alongside her, just in case McAuliffe wouldn’t be able to make it to the launch.

When did Christa McAuliffe become a teacher in space?

She took a teaching position as a social studies teacher at Concord High School in New Hampshire in 1983. In 1985, McAuliffe was selected from more than 11,000 applicants to participate in the NASA Teacher in Space Project and was scheduled to become the first teacher in space.

When was the teacher in space project cancelled?

NASA cancelled the program in 1990, following the death of its first participant, Christa McAuliffe, in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (STS-51-L) on January 28, 1986.

Who is the teacher in space project backup?

Educator Astronaut Project. Barbara Morgan, Mission Specialist and backup for the Teacher in Space Project, speaks to an audience of students and media during a January 2007 demonstration at Space Center Houston. In January 1998, NASA replaced the Teacher In Space project with the Educator Astronaut Project.