The Christa McAuliffe Planetarium is named for the woman who was to be the first civilian in space, an "ordinary" schoolteacher who was to communicate the wonders of space exploration to "ordinary" people, but who died along the the other 6 crew members of the Space Shuttle Challenger when it exploded 73 seconds after liftoff.
The idea for a planetarium was suggested by Louise Wiley, a teacher from Northwood, New Hampshire, and was chosen from among many other ideas because it combined Christa's dream of traveling through space with her dedication to teaching. The legislature in her home state of New Hampshire voted to to appropriate funds to construct a planetarium as a fitting tribute to her memory, an institution that would continue her work of teaching.
Construction was completed in little more than a year. Then on June 21, 1990, the Planetarium, located in Concord, began its mission to educate, incite and entertain learners of all ages in the sciences and humanities by actively engaging them in the exploration of astronomy and space science.
