The Challenger Disaster by Mary Jones
By 1984, NASA, the United
States space program, had carried out many successful flights of the space
shuttle. In fact, Americans were beginning to take the whole NASA program for
granted. Then, the president announced that the next shuttle would carry a
school teacher into space. Hundreds of teachers from all parts of the country
applied for the job. They all wanted to be “the first teacher in space.” During
the next year, these adventurous educators were tested and examined and
trained. At last, the choice was announced. A teacher from New Hampshire,
Christa MacAuliffe, would be the first teacher-astronaut.
Summary: Christa Mac Auliffe would be the first teacher-astronaut.
Many months of preparation and
training followed the announcement. First, Christa went through intensive
physical training. She had to be in top condition for the flight. Then she
learned how to operate some of the delicate instruments on the Challenger space
shuttle. Christa planned special lesions, which she would teach from space.
Finally, she trained with the astronauts, so they could work as a team in
space.
Summary: Many months of preparation and training.
Everyone knows what happened on
that terrible day in January, 1986. Early in the morning, the Challenger crew
had a good breakfast and discussed their plans. They made sure they understood
all of the work they would be doing during the flight. Later, they boarded a
special
van, which carried them to the
shuttle. The weather was rather cold, and some NASA officials wondered if they
should put off the flight. After some discussion, they decided to go ahead. The
Challenger took off over the Atlantic Ocean in Florida. Minutes later, it
exploded in the air. All the crew members died in the crash.
Summary: The Challenger exploded in the air after a minutes aired.