On this day - January 281986 at 11:38 a.m. the space shuttle Challenger lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Onboard was Christa McAuliffe, who was on her way to becoming the first U.S. civilian to travel into space on a non-scientific mission. McAuliffe, a 37-year-old high school teacher won a competition that earned her a place among the crew. The shuttle lifted off and seventy-three seconds later, hundreds of spectators on the ground, including Christa's family, stared in disbelief as the shuttle exploded. |
