Complete Coverage

The Space Ambassadors

When the space shuttle Challenger exploded over the Florida coast on Jan. 28, 1986, killing teacher Christa McAuliffe and six other crew members, few people were affected as deeply as the "Class of 51-L."

They were the 112 teachers who were also in the running for McAuliffe's seat on that ill-fated mission—Flight 51-L—as state finalists in NASA's competition to choose the first teacher in space.

Although they had not been picked, they were fully invested in the endeavor. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration had dubbed them "space ambassadors" and charged them with carrying the vision of space discovery back to their home states. The space agency had hired the 10 national finalists to work with its space centers for a year on special projects. And just days before the launch, they all had gathered in Florida for a...