You Can Now Download And Teach The 8 Lost Challenger Science Lessons
As a member of shuttle mission STS-51-L, school teacher Christa McAuliffe had planned to perform a series of science lessons in space for the benefit of learners around the world – but it wasn’t to be. In January 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after take-off from Cape Canaveral, after a technical fault developed […]
As a member of shuttle mission STS-51-L, school teacher Christa McAuliffe had planned to perform a series of science lessons in space for the benefit of learners around the world – but it wasn’t to be.
In January 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after take-off from Cape Canaveral, after a technical fault developed in the craft’s right solid rocket booster. The accident resulted in the deaths of all seven crew members.
The previous year, McAuliffe had been selected from more over 11,000 applicants as the winner of Nasa’s ‘Teacher In Space’ Project. Had the flight been successful, McAuliffe would have performed a sequence of lesson plans and carried out several live demonstrations for teachers over the course of the mission, two of which were to have been televised by US broadcaster PBS six days in.
In video footage recorded at the time, McAuliffe can be seen rehearsing the live lessons and taking viewers through various aspects of her pre-flight training.
Now, more than 30 years on, all eight of McAuliffe’s planned lessons can be downloaded as PDFs via the Challenger Center for Space Science Education – a not-for-profit organisation founded by the families of the Challenger crew. Thanks to the input of NASA educationalist Bob Mayfield, they are ready for classroom use, with instructions for practical activities, prompts for classroom discussion and links to accompanying videos.
You can find the lessons at the Challenger Centre website.
