Christa McAuliffe probable the O-rings had not provided a proper seal. Barbara Radding Morgan, her backup, became a professional astronaut in January 1998, and flew on Space Shuttle mission STS-118, to the International Space Station, on August 8, 2007, aboard "Endeavour", the orbiter that replaced "Challenger". McAuliffe was buried at Blossom Hill Cemetery in her hometown, Concord. She has since been honored at many events, including the Daytona 500 NASCAR race in 1986. The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord and the Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Education and Teaching Excellence at Framingham State University are named in her memory, as are the
Christa Merten in the 1000, 1500 and 3000 meter run. Merten was 1.68 m tall and weighed 54 kg in her time as an active athlete. Until 1964, she belonged to the sports club SC Charlottenburg, then VfL Wolfsburg, then ASV Köln and finally from 1971 onward, Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Christa Merten Christa Merten (née Basche; 14 October 1944, Dobbertin, Germany – 1 July 1986, Marbella, Spain), was a West German athlete and Olympian who competed for West Germany in the 1960s and 70s in the 800, 1500 and 3000 meter runs and in cross country running. On July 31, 1971, she