Christa McAuliffe memorial to be built at NH Statehouse
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has issued an executive order for a permanent memorial to Christa McAuliffe, the high school teacher who died in the space shuttle Challenger disaster 37 years ago
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A permanent memorial to Christa McAuliffe, the New Hampshire high school teacher who died in the space shuttle Challenger disaster 37 years ago, will be built on the Statehouse grounds, according to an executive order from Gov. Chris Sununu.
McAuliffe would have been NASA’s first designated teacher in space. She and six crewmates were killed when the Challenger broke apart shortly after takeoff on Jan. 28, 1986. She was 37.
Sununu has asked for $500,000 in the state budget for the memorial. His order creates a commission to study, design and oversee its construction. The memorial would be unveiled by Sept. 2, 2024, on what would have been her 76th birthday.
McAuliffe taught at Concord High School and is buried in a local cemetery. The city named a planetarium for her, later changing it to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center to recognize native son Alan Shepard, the first American in space. It also named an elementary school for her.
There are other tributes elsewhere to McAuliffe and to the Challenger crew, including a memorial in Arlington National Cemetery. A commemorative coin honoring McAuliffe also was created.