Who was the teacher on the space shuttle Challenger?

Her name was Christa McAuliffe, and she was selected America's Teacher in Space in 1985 over almost 11,000 applicants, 114 semifinalist and 10 finalists. The program had been announced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984.

The New Hampshire high school teacher spent five months training for a flight on the space shuttle Challenger. She had hoped to record her flight and conduct lessons from the shuttle all about space travel.

She and her six crewmates on the Challenger were killed when the shuttle exploded shortly after liftoff from Cape Canaveral on January 28, 1986. She was 37.