Challenger 40 years later: Remembering the tragedy through the teacher who dreamed of space
This 1986 video captures the days of delays, the shock of loss and the Concord teacher’s lasting legacy.
New Hampshire couldn’t have been prouder than in the days and weeks preceding the launch of Space Shuttle Challenger Mission 51L. Concord’s own Krysta McAuliffe was to orbit the Earth with six crewmates Ellison Onazuka, Michael Smith, Francis Scobie, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnick, and Ronald McNair. The seven arrived at Cape Canaveral several days before the launch. KRSTA was loaded down with New Hampshire memorabilia and *** dream of teaching several lessons from space. I don’t think any teacher has ever been more ready to have two lessons in my life. I’ve been preparing these since September and I just hope everybody tunes in on day 4 now to watch the teacher teaching in space. But Krista’s trip into space was delayed and delayed again. If it wasn’t the weather, it was technical problems. Yet nothing could dampen Krista’s high spirits. Krista wasn’t the only one who was anxious. Here in New Hampshire, Concord High School principal Charles Foley says students had *** hard time concentrating on classes. I think the anticipation of of the liftoff was uh uppermost in people’s minds, and there was ***, ***, ***, *** great excitement on the part of both the staff and the students. Students assembled in the cafeteria several times on Monday, January twenty-seventh, but there was to be no launch, and the crew climbed out of the cabin to try again the next day. Tuesday morning, January twenty-eighth was bitterly cold, so cold there were icicles hanging off the launch pad. The crew suited up anyway and walked the familiar path to the shuttle. Before climbing into the crew cabin, *** NASA worker handed Krista an apple and then congratulated her on graduating into the School of Space Exploration. The countdown continued throughout the morning and after 5 delays the shuttle was finally launched. Krista’s parents, Ed and Grace Corrigan, watched with joy. The launch appeared perfect, but seconds later disaster struck. Challenger, go with throttle up throttle up. The happy faces had turned to expressions of pain and sorrow. It was several minutes before Mission Control in Houston offered an explanation for what happened. The ascent phase appeared normal through approximately the completion of the program and throttle down and engine throttle back to 104%. Uh, at that point we had an apparent, uh, explosion. Subsequent to that, uh, the tracking, uh, crews reported to the flight dynamics officer that the vehicle, appeared to have exploded. As news of the tragedy spread throughout the world, the shock began to wear off and reality set in. Concord High School student Brian Ballard was in Florida to cover the mission for the school newspaper. He said he never planned on anything like this. At first I had planned to, um, write about all the successes that were going to happen, all, all the, the mission. I was going to write about the mission basically. I didn’t really leave *** clause for, uh, for any disaster. Ballard wasn’t the only one caught off guard that night. The president postponed his State of the Union address, choosing instead to talk about the day’s events. We mourn their loss as *** nation together. The families of the 7. We cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss and we’re thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave. And they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, Give me *** challenge, and I’ll meet it with joy. In the week that followed, there were 3 special memorial services, one in Houston, one in Krista’s hometown of Framingham, Massachusetts, and one here at the state house in Concord. Thousands turned out to remember Krista and her crewmates. Robert Veu, *** Manchester High School teacher and semi-finalist for the Teacher in space program, was one of many to eulogize the seven astronauts. Krista represented all of the space ambassadors and much beyond us. She represented all of the teachers in the United States and in the world. While New Hampshire and the nation mourned the loss, an extensive investigation was launched in Florida and in Washington. Several months passed before it was determined that an O-ring in the right solid rocket booster had failed, causing the explosion. In the end, however, that knowledge didn’t make the loss any easier for some of us here in New Hampshire. And I don’t think that knowing why it happened. Really helped any of us. To deal with the sorrow that we felt in our hearts. Krista’s remains were returned to New Hampshire in the spring. In November, her grave was marked with *** black granite headstone. The epitaph refers to her as *** pioneer woman. It says she laughed, she loved, and she is loved. She loved teaching and so she did it well and she was happy about it and she exuded this happiness to everybody who came in contact with her and that’s what we’re all missing now. We’re missing this person who loved life, um, who, uh, loved her family and loved what she was doing. Like the rest of the country, life has gone on for students and administrators at Concord High. Yet at the same time they’ve remembered Krista in many ways. *** section is dedicated to her in the 1986 yearbook. *** mural fills *** wall in the teacher’s lounge, and last month, the Concord High School choir helped *** French singing group record *** musical tribute to Krista.
Challenger 40 years later: Remembering the tragedy through the teacher who dreamed of space
This 1986 video captures the days of delays, the shock of loss and the Concord teacher’s lasting legacy.
Updated: 7:58 AM EST Jan 28, 2026
Forty years ago, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart shortly after liftoff, killing all seven astronauts aboard. One of them was Christa McAuliffe, a Concord High School teacher from New Hampshire and the first educator chosen to fly in space. The 1986 archival video captures the delays, the rising anticipation, and the moment optimism turned to shock. Back in Concord, it shows students struggling to make sense of what they watched and a state searching for words. Memorial services drew thousands, as classmates and colleagues remembered a teacher who radiated joy and purpose. Investigators later traced the cause to a failed O-ring, but the footage makes clear that answers did not ease the grief. Four decades later, McAuliffe’s legacy endures as a symbol of learning, public service and the risks of exploration. Her community still honors her and the rest of the Challenger crew.
CONCORD, N.H. —
Forty years ago, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart shortly after liftoff, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
One of them was Christa McAuliffe, a Concord High School teacher from New Hampshire and the first educator chosen to fly in space.
The 1986 archival video captures the delays, the rising anticipation, and the moment optimism turned to shock.
Back in Concord, it shows students struggling to make sense of what they watched and a state searching for words.
Memorial services drew thousands, as classmates and colleagues remembered a teacher who radiated joy and purpose.
Investigators later traced the cause to a failed O-ring, but the footage makes clear that answers did not ease the grief.
Four decades later, McAuliffe’s legacy endures as a symbol of learning, public service and the risks of exploration.
Her community still honors her and the rest of the Challenger crew.