McAuliffe and the Challenger crew died Jan. 28, 1986, when the Challenger space shuttle exploded shortly after takeoff. “Christa McAuliffe was selected out of over 11,000 people to become NASA's first ...
McAuliffe was 37 when she was killed, one of the seven crew members aboard the Challenger when the space shuttle broke apart on live TV on Jan. 28, 1986.