A good teacher holds a special place in our memory. A great teacher stays in our hearts forever. Christa McAuliffe was a great teacher. She was so special she was chosen from more than 11,000 applicants as the first teacher in space. Christa prepared for the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger and boarded the spaceship alongside astronauts Francis “Dick” Scobee, Michael Smith, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ronald McNair, and Gregory Jarvis on January 28, 1986. The entire United States tuned in to watch Christa and the others launch into space. But just 73 seconds into the shuttle’s ascent, a catastrophic explosion occurred, killing everyone on board. The day marks one of the saddest in recent American history. Although it was a disaster, the Challenger helped change the world in a beautiful way. The ‘Challenger’ Was Just Part of Christa McAuliffe’s Story Before the Challenger explosion, Christa McAuliffe, a mother of two, taught at Concord High School in New Hampshire. The Space Race fascinated Christa, and she found herself inspired by astronauts, particularly women. In her application for the Teacher in Space program, Christa explained why this experience would be so meaningful for her. “When Sally Ride and other women began to train as astronauts, I could look among my students and see ahead of them an ever-increasing list of opportunities. I cannot join the space program and restart my life as an astronaut, but this opportunity to connect my abilities as an educator with my interests in history and space is a unique opportunity to fulfill my early fantasies. I watched the Space Age being born, and I would like to participate,” she shared per the Concord Monitor. While Christa McAuliffe never actually got the chance to teach in space, she most definitely changed lives. Schools Will Honor Christa McAuliffe as a Pioneer There are several schools named after the teacher in the United States, including Christa McAuliffe Elementary School in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The school, which opened in 1981, uses the fitting motto “Reach for the Stars.” “She wanted to do something and not just be a passenger. She wanted to be a part of the journey. She took it seriously and learned as much as she could in the time she had before they lifted off,” McAuliffe principal Kelly Rollin told WBAY ahead of the Challenger explosion’s 40th anniversary. Kelly shared plans to honor Christa on January 28. “I’ll get on the PA system and talk a little bit about the tragedy and Christa’s life, and then we actually play a John Denver song, ‘Fly With Me.’ It’s a song that he wrote. Originally, he was supposed to be on the ‘Challenger,’ and instead Christa took his place. At the end, they play musically softly for 73 seconds, the time the ‘Challenger’ was up in the air before it exploded,” she explained. Hopefully, Christa McAuliffe knows how much she changed the world for the better, even if it wasn’t what anyone planned. This story’s featured image is by Bettmann.