Christa McAuliffe were posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor by President George W. Bush. On January 28, 2016, Space Shuttle "Challenger" was honored once again, but in a uniquely memorable way. Dozens of teachers who competed alongside the fallen Christa McAuliffe traveled to Cape Canaveral, Florida, to remember those lost on that day 30 years ago. Christa McAuliffe's son Scott and her widower, Steven, also participated in the ceremony. After remarking on the fact that 30 years had indeed passed, Steven said "Challenger will always be an event that occurred just recently. Our thoughts and memories of Christa will always
Ellison Onizuka that took off from Kennedy Space Center at 11:38:00 EST (16:38:00 UTC) on January 28, 1986. The other "Challenger" crew members were commander Dick Scobee, pilot Michael J. Smith, mission specialists Ronald McNair, Judith Resnik, and payload specialists Gregory Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe. It was destroyed when a flame jet leaking from a solid rocket booster ruptured the liquid hydrogen fuel tank 73 seconds after launch. All seven crew members were killed. Following the "Challenger" disaster, examination of the recovered vehicle cockpit revealed that three of the crew members Personal Egress Air Packs were activated: those of Onizuka, mission specialist