Experts have already warned that Elon Musk's plans to put humans on Mars could lead to a tragic loss of life, and over the course of the great space race, history has taught us that our many trips to the stars aren't exactly safe.
There have been several space disasters, with one of the most notorious being 1986's Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Following Columbia as the second Space Shuttle orbiter to fly into space, Challenger was tragically destroyed when it exploded shortly after takeoff during the STS-51-L mission. Grabbing media attention as Challenger's tenth and final flight, it also drummed up interest due to the involvement of Christa McAuliffe.
McAuliffe was supposed to hold live lessons from space as part of NASA's Teacher in Space Project, with the New Hampshire native due to be the first teacher in space. Unfortunately, Challenger broke apart just 73 seconds after launch, killing McAuliffe and the other six onboard.
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President Ronald Reagan announced the Teacher in Space Project in 1984, hoping to put an 'ordinary person' in space. 11,000 civilians applied for a seat on the Challenger, which was then narrowed down to 114 semi-finalists and McAuliffe being one of two teachers put forward for New Hampshire. McAuliffe was revealed as one of the 10 finalists in July 1985 and had to attend a week of rigorous testing at the Johnson Space Center.
She was officially confirmed as the winner on July 19, 1985, with teacher Barbara Morgan announced as her backup.
NASA official Alan Ladwig championed McAuliffe as the right woman for the job, saying "she had an infectious enthusiasm."
Sadly, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity turned into a horror story.
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As crowds gathered at Cape Canaveral and the launch was broadcast around the globe, McAuliffe and the rest of the crew boarded the Challenger shuttle. Just over a minute into the flight, a faulty booster joint reportedly opened up. Flames melted the securing struts, leading to 'a catastrophic structural failure' and a massive explosion that killed the entire crew.
The final words of the Challenger crew were recorded as pilot Michael J. Smith saying, 'Uh-oh,' before the transmission cut out.
McAuliffe once said, "If you're offered a seat on a rocket ship, don't ask what seat. Just get on," not realizing the tragedy that was heading her way.
A three-month operation led to human remains and fragments of the shuttle being recovered from the ocean floor. Ultimately, NASA replaced Teachers in Space with the Educator Astronaut Project which required its participants to become astronaut Mission Specialists.
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Reflecting on McAuliffe's death on Reddit, someone wrote: "I’ve always imagined there were probably thousands of teachers watching that liftoff, thinking how amazing it would’ve been if they were chosen to be in the shuttle. And then, in an instant, feeling so relieved they weren’t."
Another added: "She’s the reason my 1st grade class watched this event on tv in our classroom. Horrific and my first core memory of an adult teaching me to ignore any feelings and just get back to work."
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A third concluded: "To be honest I still would’ve gotten on even if I knew it was let’s say a 50/50 to make it back.
These things transcend a human life. We need to keep pushing our boundaries and advance as a species and the space programs of the world are one of the finest examples of that
Her life was lost in one of the most noble pursuits of humanity."
The legacy of Christa McAuliffe lives on, and as well as several schools being named in her honor, a statue of her was erected on the grounds of the New Hampshire State Capitol in 2024.
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Barbara Morgan also became a professional astronaut in January 1998 and later flew on the Endeavour shuttle to the International Space Station.