Framingham Remembers Christa Corrigan McAuliffe

FRAMINGHAM, MA - Thursday, Jan. 28 marked the 30th anniversary of the NASA space shuttle Challenger explosion, that killed teacher in space and Framingham native Christa Corrigan McAuliffe and six other astronauts.

Marian High, where McAuliffe graduated in 1966, held a ceremony to remember her at 8 a.m.

The library branch, named for McAuliffe, held a moment of silence for her at 11:39 a.m. It will be the last moment of silence for McAuliffe at the Saxonville library branch, as it close next month, when the new Christa McAuliffe library branch opens in Nobscot on Water Street.

Framingham Patch announced this week that the new library that bears McAuliffe’s name will open on Feb. 16, with tours for the public on Feb. 13.

As that same time 11:39 a.m., Framingham Veterans, including VFW 929 Commander Framingham Nicholas Paganella and Town of Framingham Veterans Agent Peter Harvell travelled to New Hampshire to Concord High School, where McAuliffe taught, to hold a moment of silence and flag ceremony.

The Framingham-based charter school, that bears McAuliffe’s name, held an educational event Thursday night, which featured as keynote speaker the former NASA astronaut, who helped train McAuliffe for her space mission.

The school’s grade 8 scholars also presented results from their learning expedition, To Space and Back, which focused on space program technologies that have been repurposed for commercial uses. Their presentations highlighted examples of how scientists have used space research to improve humanity’s life on earth from medical devices to telecommunications technologies.

Yesterday, on the U.S. Senate floor, Massachusetts’ senior senator Elizabeth Warren spoke of McAuliffe as a hero and her legacy.

“But Christa McAuliffe still teaches,” said Sen Warren. “Since 1994, the Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University has provided truly remarkable, innovative STEM education resources to 12,000 Massachusetts students each year. And Christa McAuliffe’s story, a little girl from Framingham, who wanted to become a school teacher, and got the change to take the ultimate field trip, a trip into outer space, keeps inspiring little boys and little girls in Massachusetts, and around the country, telling them all to reach for the stars.” Click here to watch her speech.

And finally, Framingham State University, where McAuliffe received her bachelor’s and masters degrees, held a ticketed event with more than 400 attendees.

Inspiring the Future: 30 Years Since Challenger, featured NASA Astronaut Catherine “Cady” Coleman, who lives in Massachusetts and Tess Caswell, who worked as an environmental and thermal operating systems flight controller for the International Space Station.