Synopsis

Christa McAuliffe: Reach for the Stars

Teacher, Adventurer, American Hero, 75 minutes

January 28, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, traumatizing the nation and taking the lives of the seven-member NASA crew. Among them was Christa McAuliffe, the first Teacher in Space.

In this film, for the first time McAuliffe's family speaks out about the impact of her death, revealing the deep private loss behind the public tragedy and how it drastically altered their lives. Previously unseen NASA footage and candid interviews with NASA colleagues reveal McAuliffe's unique spirit and personality. Most remember the event as a great loss, but in fact McAuliffe's life and death have inspired millions around the world.

Filmmakers Renee Sotile and Mary Jo Godges wanted to tell the inspiring story of a courageous woman, passionate teacher and her lifelong commitment to education, a commitment so great that she gave her life for the cause.

Christa's story also gained the interest of Grammy Award Winner Carly Simon who composed an original song for the film titled "You're Where I Go" and Academy Award Winner Susan Sarandon who narrates the film.

Christa was a social studies teacher from Concord, New Hampshire. She was selected from thousands of applicants to be NASA's first civilian astronaut. Her mission was to make space exploration come alive for millions of school children across America. Her payload was education. She herself was the payload and the shuttle was going to be her classroom in space.

The audience is instantly brought into the world of Christa McAuliffe, as she was loved and remembered. Christa's mother, Grace Corrigan, remembers her as an intellectually curious and spirited child who demonstrated leadership qualities at a young age. Christa's family, teachers and friends go on to speak about how these qualities manifested themselves into a courageous young woman, teacher and mother who embraced education as a mission and who became the unanimous choice for NASA.

This documentary examines Christa's personal journey as a fledging astronaut. We discover her resistance to having NASA script her space-based science lessons from the "ultimate" classroom. Christa, in her own words, she describes her own sense of inspiration and what she hoped to inspire.

This film includes powerful new material and interviews including unique insights from top-ranking NASA officials on the Challenger disaster.

This information helps provide some much needed perspective to this iconic moment in history about a woman who’s dream did not die 73 seconds after take off.

The loss of Columbia reminded us that every NASA space mission involves the potential for great sacrifice. This film explains why Christa McAuliffe was willing to accept the risks and charts the legacy of her life and death.

The producers worked closely with Christa McAuliffe's mother, Mrs. Grace Corrigan, and other members of her family gaining access to exclusive family photos and home movies. Together the material paints a new and more intimate portrait of the public and private life of Christa McAuliffe.

The result is a unique documentary that is both intellectually engaging and emotionally powerful.

We see that out of the tears and mourning came a sense of purpose that spurred a new era of a greater respect for women, teachers and education.

Christa McAuliffe : “Like a woman on the Conestoga wagon pioneering the west, I too would be able to bring back my thoughts and my journal to make that a part of history."