The teacher, who beat out 11,00 applicants to be the first "average citizen" sent to space, opened up to PEOPLE 40 years ago ...

In the summer of 1985, NASA, the Reagan White House and seven talented astronauts were wrangled into an orbital battle over ...

On Jan. 28, 1986, seven astronauts were killed when the Challenger space shuttle exploded shortly after launch. After launch, a booster engine broke apart, according to NASA.

On Jan. 28, 1986, seven astronauts were killed when the Challenger space shuttle exploded shortly after launch. The crew of the Challenger in a 1986 photo.

Challenger ’s launch was postponed six times before liftoff on January 28. Even when a teacher is not aboard, “launches are very much publicized,” Weitekamp says.

IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. The unveiling of a memorial plaque ...

Jim Lovell, the commander of the famed Apollo 13 mission, has died, according to NASA. He was 97.

All seven astronauts aboard the Challenger were killed when it broke apart 73 seconds after lifting off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. McAuliffe, 37, was married with two young children.