Book of the Week #4

"I Touch the Future..." The Story of Christa McAuliffe by Robert T. Hohler (NY: Random House, 1986)

On January 28, 1986 the space shuttle Challenger was scheduled to launch with the a NH school teacher--the first civilian to be part of a shuttle crew--on board. The morning's launch ended in tragedy when Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after lifting off killing everyone on board.

This volume tells the story of that NH teacher, Christa McAuliffe. Author Robert T. Hohler was a reporter at the Concord Monitor and covered the story of McAuliffe's selection to be part of the Challenger mission.

"Even for those who knew Christa only a short time, a sense of loss lingered long after her death. But the pain was soothed by memories of Christa in life: memories of a teacher who asked to be nothing more than an ordinary woman on an extraordinary mission. This book is intended to preserve those memories. It was written with deep fondness for Christa and great respect for her family and the families of the entire Challenger crew. And written, too, with the hope that others will continue her mission to improve education for our children." (from the preface, p. viii)

In addition to this book there are numerous books about Christa McAuliffe held by NH libraries.