STS-118 to regulate, monitor, and shut them down in case of trouble; the new system extends and improves the monitoring capability for increased safety.) "Endeavour" also received several systems that the other orbiters had already been equipped with, such as a glass cockpit, improved wing leading-edge sensors and the OBSS. STS-118 included mission specialist Barbara Morgan, the first Mission Specialist Educator. Morgan trained as the backup to Christa McAuliffe, NASA's Teacher in Space candidate from 1985 to 1986. McAuliffe was killed in the space shuttle "Challenger" accident on 28 January 1986. While McAuliffe and Morgan were classified as spaceflight participants and
3352 McAuliffe months (941 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.37 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic. It has an "Earth minimum orbital intersection distance" of , which translates into 79.5 lunar distances. Due to its eccentric orbit, "McAuliffe" is also a Mars-crosser. As no precoveries were taken, and no prior identifications were made, the body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Anderson Mesa in 1981. In the SMASS taxonomy, "McAuliffe" is a rare A-type asteroid, meaning that it is rich in olivine. In addition, the large-scale survey conducted by PanSTARRS also classified as