3352 McAuliffe planet was named in memory of Christa McAuliffe (1948–1986), teacher, civilian astronaut and one of the seven crew members who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on 28 January 1986. The minor planets , , , , , and were named for the other crew members of the ill-fated STS-51-L mission. The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 26 March 1986 (). 3352 McAuliffe 3352 McAuliffe (), provisional designation , is a rare-type asteroid and suspected binary system, classified as near-Earth object of the Amor group, approximately 2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered
Christa McAuliffe in education. Grants in her name, honoring innovative teachers, are provided by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the National Council for the Social Studies. In 1990, she was portrayed by Karen Allen in the TV movie "Challenger". The spaceship on the 1996–1997 children's science-fiction series "Space Cases", about a group of students lost in space, was called "Christa". In 2006, a documentary film about her and Morgan called "Christa McAuliffe: Reach for the Stars" aired on CNN in the "CNN Presents" format. The film, produced by Renee Sotile and Mary Jo Godges, commemorated the 20th anniversary