New Hampshire schoolteacher (1948–1986) who was the first teacher in space; she perished, along with all six other crew members, during the Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986. ALS signed “S. Christa McAuliffe,” one page, 8.5 x 10, NASA letterhead, August 8, 1985. Letter of thanks to Ms. Scire. In full: “Thank you so much for your warm wishes. I am very excited about representing the teaching profession and look forward to sharing the experiences of my shuttle flight with everyone on return.” A mild shade of overall toning except for a thing vertical sliver to right side, and heavy creases to right and bottom near edges (passing through the tail of the signature), otherwise fine condition.
Five months prior to her horrific demise, McAuliffe’s life was filled with joy and anticipation as she prepared for the ultimate teaching adventure. Her excited sense of adventure is palpable here, as she explicitly references the honor in representing all educators and, understandably, her anticipation to one day share her newfound knowledge with the world. McAuliffe was scheduled to teach two lessons from the space shuttle as part of NASA’s Teacher in Space project. She had been selected as its primary candidate in 1985 from a field of more than 11,500 applicants. When Challenger exploded 73 seconds after takeoff, millions of horrified schoolchildren and adults were watching from schools, homes, and offices worldwide.
A heart-wrenching letter with hopeful content that brings to mind shattered dreams and the incident that to this day is seared into the memories of so many. Pre-certified Scott Cornish and RRAuction COA.
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