OTD in Space – July 19: Christa McAuliffe Named 1st 'Teacher In Space'

On July 19, 1985, a high school teacher named Christa McAuliffe was selected to become the first American civilian to fly to space.

McAuliffe won NASA's Teacher in Space Project and was selected from more than 11,000 applicants to ride aboard the space shuttle Challenger. Vice President George H. W. Bush made the announcement on July 19, and McAuliffe spent the next year training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Unfortunately, McAuliffe and her six crewmates were killed when the Challenger broke apart shortly after liftoff. Since then, dozens of learning institutions around the world have been named in her honor. She also has an asteroid, a moon crater and a crater on Venus named after her.