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Christa McAuliffe: Reach for the Stars DVDThe most complete documentary ever produced on the life of our nation's first Teacher in Space. Christa McAuliffe, the New Hampshire teacher aboard the ill-fated Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986. The loss of Columbia reminded us that every NASA space mission involves the potential for great sacrifice. This film explains why Christa McAuliffe was willing to accept the risks and charts the legacy of her life and death. Christa was a social studies teacher from Concord, New Hampshire. She was selected from thousands of applicants to be NASA's first civilian astronaut. Her mission was to make space exploration come alive for millions of school children across America. Her payload was education. She herself was the payload and the shuttle was going to be her classroom in space. The audience will be instantly brought into the world of Christa McAuliffe, as she was loved and remembered. Christa's mother, Grace Corrigan, remembers her as an intellectually curious and spirited child who demonstrated leadership qualities at a young age. Christa's family, teachers and friends will go on to speak about how these qualities manifested themselves into a courageous young woman, teacher and mother who embraced education as a mission and who became the unanimous choice for NASA. This documentary examines Christa's personal journey as a fledging astronaut. We discover her resistance to having NASA script her space-based science lessons from the "ultimate" classroom. Christa, in her own words, will describe her own sense of inspiration and what she hoped to inspire. For those who only know her as a name in a history book, it's easy to see how she came to be so beloved, how deeply her loss was felt across the nation, and how this deeply personal loss drastically changed the dynamics of her family. This film includes powerful new material and interviews including unique insights from top-ranking NASA officials on the Challenger disaster. The information helps provide some much needed perspective to this iconic moment in history. However the documentary does not attempt to analyze the Challenger tragedy, but rather showcases a celebration of a life that continues to inspire. The producers worked closely with Christa McAuliffe's mother, Mrs. Grace Corrigan, and other members of her family gaining access to exclusive family photos and home movies. Together the material paints a new and more intimate portrait of the public and private life of Christa McAuliffe. The result is a unique documentary that is both intellectually engaging and emotionally powerful. We will see that out of the tears and mourning came a sense of purpose that spurred a new era of a greater respect for women, teachers and education. Christa was, and remains, one of NASA's most visible and beloved astronauts. Narrated by Academy Award Winner Susan Sarandon with music composed by Academy/Grammy Award Winner Carly Simon. Availability: This item is currently out of stock. |