A brief introduction of Krista mcauliffe.

It was in the car that she learned the news that an astronaut was about to be selected among civilians through radio. "Today," President Reagan said, "I ordered NASA to start selecting the best American teacher from all primary and secondary schools in the country as the first citizen passenger in the history of our space program." From then on, full of confidence and joy, after several months of rigorous testing and screening, this female teacher finally stood out from 1 1000 applicants and became the first civilian astronaut and space teacher in the United States. On the second day after the radio reported the results of this selection, the citizens of Concord, where Krista mcauliffe lived, held a warm celebration ceremony and parade in the city square. When Krista came to the square accompanied by her husband and children, people flocked to shake hands, hug and ask for her autograph. The mayor unexpectedly put a baton into her hand and asked her to direct the band to play home of the brave. People applauded in time. Later, Concord declared August 6th Christa mcauliffe Day.

1985 In July, mcauliffe was assigned to take part in the flight of Challenger 10. It is fascinating that a history teacher will personally create history and write brilliant chapters in history.

Mr Gregory Jarvis is an air force engineer, specializing in satellite design. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, and received a doctorate in electrical engineering from Northeastern University in Boston. As a representative of Hughes Aircraft Company, he was appointed as one of the members to take part in this flight on June 1985+00. During this flight, he will complete a series of fluid dynamics experiments, which will help to redesign the satellite.

Every member of the Challenger crew shoulders his great and sacred responsibility. They are all excellent people and enviable outstanding representatives.

1986 65438+1October 28th, at1kloc-0/38 am EDT, the space shuttle Challenger stood solemnly at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was freezing at that time, and the temperature was MINUS 5℃. Ice is piled up on the launch pad, and 1 foot long icicles are hung on the frame of fixed service facilities. The severe cold is a great threat to the launch of the space shuttle.

Tens of thousands of spectators are not afraid of the cold, sitting excitedly in the stands of the launch site, anxiously waiting for that exciting and spectacular moment.

At this time, more people are sitting beside the TV set excitedly.

The countdown has begun. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six ... main engine on!" "Four, three, two, one, ignite!"

"Challenger" carrying its seven crew members and other loads, with people's heartfelt entrustment, but also with hidden dangers that are not perceived but will undoubtedly exist, slowly lifted off in the deafening roar! At this time, the voice of naisbitt's explanation from the radio has been drowned out by the cheers in the stands. This is the most dangerous moment in the whole flight, and Kennedy and the controllers of Houston Space Center closely monitor the huge roar of the engine. 16 seconds after liftoff, the challengers turned around one by one, with their backs down and their hips up. Within 35 seconds, the main engine decelerates to 65% of full speed to prevent the orbiter shell from overheating and breaking when passing through the high-altitude turbulence zone. Commentator naisbitt declared the takeoff normal: "The three engines are operating normally. The fuel tank and auxiliary power equipment are in good condition. The speed is 2257 feet per second and the altitude is 4.3 nautical miles. After 52 seconds, the ground console informed the commander Scobie to restore the engine to full speed. At this time, the space shuttle was approaching the sound barrier and encountered huge air pressure. The main engine is accelerated to 104% of the normal speed, and the solid fuel rocket booster has burned nearly1000 billion pounds of solid fuel. All the data displayed on the computer screen are normal. By the time Commander Scobie reported to the ground that the main engine was accelerating, the flight time had passed 70 seconds.

Three seconds later, an orange fireball suddenly appeared in the sky, then divided into many small forks, dragging flames and white smoke around. The two solid fuel rocket boosters completely broke away from the fireball and dragged the white smoke column, and continued to fly forward in a "V" shape because of out of control (Figure 5-4). At this time, on the TV screen of the flight control center, the data sent by Challenger suddenly stopped, and the radio contact with the cockpit and the whole telemetry system signal came to an abrupt end. In order to prevent two solid fuel booster rockets from falling into densely populated areas, an operator of Cape Canaveral Launch Center activated its self-explosive device to detonate it. Forty seconds later, naisbitt announced in a heavy voice: "The flight controller confirmed that the space shuttle exploded." .

No matter how unwilling people are to believe what they have heard with their own ears and seen with their own eyes, no matter how unwilling people are to accept what is happening at this moment, the cruel fact is that the space shuttle worth $65.438+$200 million has been destroyed, and all seven astronauts on board have been killed. The solid rocket booster rushed out of the flame and crossed into a "V". After the explosion, the wreckage and debris of the plane fell 30 kilometers away from the launch site at 28.64 north latitude and 80.20 west longitude. This is the worst disaster in manned space flight for 25 years.

Millions of viewers in the United States who watched the launch in front of TV sets witnessed the amazing scene of the explosion.

Hundreds of students from Concord Middle School gathered in the school cafeteria to watch the launch of Challenger on TV, which carried their admired teacher mcauliffe. They are in high spirits. They cheered loudly and excitedly when the plane took off. They all burst into tears when they learned that the plane had exploded. A teacher quickly turned off the TV. The students were quickly taken back to the classroom. Parents received a phone call from the school, and the grieving children were taken home one by one.

On the day of the space shuttle Challenger's launch, an Eastern Airlines plane just took off from Boston and flew to Miami 60 kilometers east of Cape Canaveral. On the same day, due to the temporary change of the launch time of Challenger, the take-off time of the plane was repeatedly postponed. In this regard, all 135 passengers in the car have no complaints. In fact, everyone is very concerned about this flight of the space shuttle, and everyone's heart is closely related to the warriors who explore the universe.

The plane finally took off. On the way, the pilot asked the ground weatherman about the launch of the space shuttle with concern by radio.

"Has the space shuttle taken off?"

After a silence, the weatherman replied, "It took off, … but … it exploded a minute after it left the ground."

There was silence on the radio.

"You mean, Challenger crashed? ! "The driver asked. "Yes, I think so."

The driver sat silently in the engine room, staring straight at the endless sky ahead, and no one spoke, and his mind was full of lucky hopes. "No, it's impossible!"

While struggling with grief, the pilots saw a huge, floating white cloud belt floating over the waters of Wan Li, Florida through the porthole. This is the steam produced after the explosion of the space shuttle.

The crew had to tell the passengers the bad news with deep feelings and asked the only priest among the passengers to lead them in prayer. The priest first read the 23rd hymn in the Bible with his rich voice, and finally prayed for the astronauts and their families who died. Every passenger hangs his head and every heart is pulling. When the plane landed at Miami airport, the captain and the priest stood by the door and silently watched the passengers file down. Although they are different in age and gender, they all look solemn and heavy, and many people wipe their tears while walking.

When the space shuttle suddenly exploded, the US House of Representatives was preparing for a meeting. This sudden incident shocked the whole Congress. James David Ford, the pastor of the House of Representatives, stepped onto the platform and said, "At this special moment, let's observe a moment of silence for the crew of the space shuttle." After a moment of silent prayer, the House of Representatives adjourned for two hours. Throughout capitol hill, staff, senators and congressmen gathered around the TV and watched the development of this tragedy silently.

When the explosion happened, President Reagan was having a meeting with his senior aides. Vice President Bush and National Security Adviser poindexter brought the unexpected news. So the participants immediately went to the nearest TV and watched the video of the incident. White House spokesman Speakes later said: "You can see the expression of anxiety, anxiety and sadness on the president's face." "When watching the TV video, the president was so shocked that he could hardly speak." A few hours later, President Reagan addressed the nation and announced: "I originally planned to deliver a State of the Union address to you tonight. But what happened earlier today made me change my original plan. Today is a day of mourning and commemoration. " Then he said, "Nancy and I are deeply saddened by the tragedy that happened on the Challenger. We know that people all over the country are as deeply saddened as we are. ..... This is indeed a loss for the country. ..... I have always trusted and respected our space program, and what happened today will never degrade its reputation. We will continue to explore space. There will be more space flights and more space pilots in the future. Yes, there will be more volunteers, more civilians and more teachers in space. "

The grief caused by the Challenger air crash is national. This is no less than the assassination of President Kennedy. The vibration caused by the explosion of Challenger is worldwide. The news system all over the world reported the incident. Even the Tass news agency, which has always been very reserved, quickly reported the news, although the report from new york only contained one sentence: "The American space shuttle Challenger exploded just after taking off today." News organizations in the former Soviet Union used to criticize the American space shuttle program and accuse it of being used for military purposes.

The day after the incident, President Li Xiannian called President Reagan to express his condolences over the death of the American astronaut. The telegram said: "I was shocked to learn that seven astronauts of the space shuttle Challenger in your country were killed. On behalf of the government of China and the people of China, I would like to express my deepest sympathy and condolences to your government and people and sincere condolences to the families of the victims. "