“Like a woman on the Conestoga wagon pioneering the west, I too would be able to bring back my thoughts and my journal to make that a part of history.” Christa McAuliffe

Christa McCauliff 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. On January 28, 1986, she embraked on a journey to fullfill a lifetime dream.

After a screening of Christa McAuliffe: Reach for the Stars at DOCClubLA,  a 501(c)3 documentary film group in Los Angeles, it’s founders Pepi Kelman & diane estelle Vicari were moved to action and are donating 10,000 copies of the film to kids and educators across the country.

The film directed by Renee Sotile and Mary Jo Godges, narrated by actress Susan Sarandon with original music by Carly Simon, (whose music McAuliffe carried aboard the shuttle) documents the life and tragic death of America’s first Teacher in Space.

DOCClubLA partnered with NOVA, producer of the most utilized video resource in science classrooms, to help connect educators to this offer. If you are an educator and wish to receive a copy of the documentary, please let us know. The order form is available at http://tinyurl.com/ReachfortheStarsDVD.

“As we approach Jan. 28, 2011, the 25th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy, it is only appropriate that we honor the legacy of Christa McAuliffe, with the gift of this film to those who otherwise would not have known or experienced her teachings,” says Kelman.
 
“The loss of Christa McAuliffe touched everyone deeply,” says Sotile. “She was a teacher so we can all relate to that.”  “As the Teacher in Space, Christa's mission aboard Challenger was to ‘humanize the space program’ a goal that is now being accomplished through the Challenger Learning Centers that honor her,” says Mary Jo Godges.
 
 “I miss my daughter very much and I’m comforted to know she lives on in this wonderful film,” said Grace Corrigan, Christa’s mother. “And now more people will get the chance to see it."

For more information about the film -- please visit:
http://teacher1986.com/REACH%20FOR%20THE%20STARS.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2M6HkKV9q4