When History and Science Meet

This past week, I attended an event at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center here in New Hampshire that marked the 30th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster . On January 28th, 1986, the space shuttle exploded just 73 seconds into its mission. Concord, New Hampshire resident Christa McAuliffe was chosen for this mission to be the first teacher in space, but was killed during the tragedy.

McAuliffe inspired us all with a spirit of adventure, discovery and purpose."I touch the future, I teach" has become a mantra to all those who follow in her footsteps as educators. To me. the memory of McAuliffe, a social studies teacher, emphasizes the importance of tying our past to our future. Today, grounded in history and inspired by ideas related to STEM and new 21st century Science standards, we may support our children by guiding them to ignite their passions, satisfy their curiosities about from where they come, and use new tools for the betterment of their world. In fact, when we look at our stars, we should realize that science and history are very closely related, indeed.

Challenger victims remembers at McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center. NECN.