Christa McAuliffe was a high school social studies teacher.
Sharon Christa McAuliffe -LRB- September 2 , 1948 -- January 28 , 1986 -RRB- was an American teacher from Concord , New Hampshire , and was one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster .. New Hampshire. New Hampshire. She received her bachelor 's degree in education and history from Framingham State College in 1970 , and also a master 's in education supervision and administration from Bowie State University in 1978 .. Framingham State College. Framingham State University. Bowie State University. Bowie State University. She took a teaching position as a social studies teacher at Concord High School in New Hampshire in 1983 .. Concord High School. Concord High School ( New Hampshire ). New Hampshire. New Hampshire. In 1985 , she 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 .. NASA. NASA. Teacher in Space Project. Teacher in Space Project. As a member of mission STS-51-L , she was planning to conduct experiments and teach two lessons from Space Shuttle Challenger .. STS-51-L. STS-51-L. On January 28 , 1986 , the shuttle broke apart 73 seconds after launch .. After her death , schools and scholarships were named in her honor , and in 2004 she was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor .. Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Congressional Space Medal of Honor