Word: schoolchildren
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...aboard the space shuttle Challenger, not because of her commitment to the space program, but because of her commitment to public education. As the first teacher in space, Christa McAuliffe saw a unique and dramatic opportunity to inspire American schoolchildren with the excitement of learning...
Shivering reporters, photographers, schoolchildren and other spectators cheered. The countdown was past the point where it had stopped the day before. The mission designed to show that space belonged to everyone finally seemed ready to launch both its schoolteacher and the dreams of the children participating vicariously from their schools. On Challenger's flight deck, roughly the size of a Boeing 747's, Scobee and Smith continued to run through their elaborate checklists. The orbiter's main computer, supported by four backups, continuously scanned all the data from some 2,000 sensors and data points. They would shut down...
...They appeared more somber than many of the cheering spectators. Ed Corrigan seemed to sense the tragedy first. He reached out to put an arm around his wife. Grace Corrigan's look of puzzlement turned to tears. She cradled her head against her husband's shoulder. Most of the schoolchildren were mystified. But some began sobbing as they saw the reaction of the adults. To those in the stands came a brusque order: "Everybody back on the buses." The lift-off celebration at McAuliffe's high school faded slowly. To Sophomore Marsha Bailey, the TV pyrotechnics looked like "part...
Instead, Reagan delivered a poignant and graceful televised tribute to "the Challenger Seven" late Tuesday afternoon. "They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths," he said. "They wished to serve, and they did--they served all of us." Addressing himself directly to the nation's schoolchildren who had been watching, Reagan added, "I know it's hard to understand that sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery, it's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons...
After training for three months, the teacher and her more experienced crewmates were ready for their multiple mission. McAuliffe's task was to ! conduct two 15-minute classes in space as millions of schoolchildren watched via closed-circuit TV. In one, called "The ultimate field trip," she would conduct a tour of the spacecraft, explaining the duties of each crew member and the facilities on board. The second, titled "Where we've been, where we're going, why?," would stress the scientific, commercial and industrial benefits that have been derived from space travel...