Teacher in Space Project to interested teachers while 11,000 teachers sent completed applications to NASA. Each application included a potential lesson that would be taught from space while on the Space Shuttle. The applications were sorted and then sent to the various State Departments of Education, who were then responsible for narrowing down their state applicants to a final set of two each. These applicants were notified of their selections and were gathered together for further selection processes down to ten finalists. These were then trained for a time, and in 1985 NASA selected Christa McAuliffe to be the first teacher in space, with
Ron McAuliffe of Origin series. The 1980s were to prove a golden period for rugby league in Queensland. McAuliffe sat in the Senate until 30 June 1981. At the end of 1981 he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire. McAuliffe died in August 1988 from a stroke. His funeral was held on 17 August 1988 at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Fortitude Valley and he was buried in Nudgee Cemetery. His pall bearers included then Australian and Queensland captain Wally Lewis. In his obituary "The Courier-Mail" journalist Barry Dick wrote that "he [Ron McAuliffe] loved a drink,