On 28 January 1986, just 73 seconds into its fl ight, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart, killing all seven astronauts on board. This disaster was witnessed by millions on live television. Among the dead was Christa McAuliff e, a schoolteacher and mother of a nine-year-old son and six-year-old daughter. She had been chosen from more than 11,400 applicants to go to space as part of the NASA Teacher in Space Project. Her students had assembled in Concord High School to watch the launch live on television. Cheering when the rocket lifted off , the class and the US public were stunned into terrifi ed silence as they watched the shuttle disintegrate.
That night, the US president, Ronald Reagan, made a televised speech to the American public about the disaster. In it, he addressed in particular schoolchildren who had witnessed the tragedy.
