Seven lives were lost as communications failed in the face of public pressure to proceed with the launch despite dangerously cold conditions. January 28, 1986, The sun had been up for less than an hour and air temperatures were a few notches above freezing when the crew of STS-51L boarded the orbiter Challenger. All around the country people were getting excited because the seven-person crew included Payload Specialist Christa McAuliffe, a schoolteacher and mother of two chosen to fly as part of NASA's Teacher in Space program. She was proof that space was now truly open to average Americans. Kids nationwide would watch the launch live and know that no dream was beyond reach.