Christa McAuliffe a result. On January 28, 1986, McAuliffe boarded "Challenger" with the other six crew members of STS-51-L. Just 73 seconds into its flight at an altitude of 48,000 feet, the shuttle broke apart, resulting in the deaths of all seven crew members. According to NASA, it was in part because of the excitement over her presence on the shuttle that the accident had such a significant effect on the nation. Many schoolchildren were viewing the launch live, and media coverage of the accident was extensive. The Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle "Challenger" Accident—also known as the Rogers Commission—was formed
Christa Wolf herself then closely watched for nearly 30 years. During the Cold War, Wolf was openly critical of the leadership of the GDR, but she maintained a loyalty to the values of socialism and opposed German reunification. Wolf's breakthrough as a writer came in 1963 with the publication of "Der geteilte Himmel" ("Divided Heaven"). Her subsequent works included "Nachdenken über Christa T." ("The Quest for Christa T.") (1968), "Kindheitsmuster" ("Patterns of Childhood") (1976), "Kein Ort. Nirgends" (1979), "Kassandra" ("Cassandra") (1983), "Störfall" ("Accident") (1987), "Medea" (1996), "Auf dem Weg nach Tabou" ("On the Way to Taboo") (1994), and "Stadt der Engel oder