In the summer of 1985, Christa McAuliffe was preparing to fly aboard the space shuttle Challenger to become the first private citizen in space. McAuliffe had been selected from more than 11,400 applicants for the government’s Teacher in Space program. While in orbit, she planned to film science lessons that would be distributed to classrooms around the country after she returned.

McAuliffe was never able to carry out those plans. The 37-year-old social-studies teacher and her six crewmates were killed during liftoff at Cape Canaveral in Florida in 1986. But now, a pair of nasa astronauts are hoping to finish what McAuliffe started.

Joe Acaba and Ricky Arnold will carry out some of McAuliffe’s original lesson plans on the International Space Station over the next several months. Acaba announced the news during a video call Friday with students at Framingham State University in Massachusetts, where McAuliffe graduated in 1970.

Read the full article about NASA's tribute to Christa McAuliffe by Marina Koren at The Atlantic.