Search - Christa McAuliffe Reach for the Stars on DVD

A Deserved Praise for a Fantastic Lady

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 06/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off, this work spoke to a left progressive like myself. It said McAuliffe, a Caucasian, went to a Black college for graduate school. She wrote her thesis on helping disabled students. An openly gay man who was a student in her class recalled how she was pro-gay (unlike the 1980s teachers that I knew) and that helped him survive school. She taught about women in history. The work stated that she identified as "a Kennedy Democrat" even though NASA asked her to remain silent on the topic. McAuliffe sounded like the awesome progressive that I'd want for a close friend even in this decade.



At least 12,000 teachers applied for this space program and McAuliffe's selection is laudable. This work shows how audiogenic she was. Recently, Susan Boyle, a Scottish woman with a beautiful voice, became sick dealing with her new fame. McAuliffe didn't seem to crack under media scrutiny. She seemed to handle public attention with ease.



Wearing my gender studies cap, it stood out to me that the first 10 minutes of this 70 minute documentary only interviewed women. You barely see McAuliffe's male relatives, but her sisters, mother, and female friends are prominent in front of the camera. I wonder if this work anticipated a mostly female audience. McAuliffe is never shown calling herself a feminist, but this work has a definite feminist tone if you have the ears to notice it.



There is a new documentary called "The First Israeli in Space." It has sooooo many parallels to this documentary. I think a high school or college student could easily write a paper comparing and contrasting the two. In both, the runner-up to the deceased astronaut is interviewed. However, neither is asked, "Do you now feel glad you weren't given the top slot?" The 2003 space disaster caused many to reflect on the 1986 tragedy. This work, surprisingly, shows those with close ties to the 1986 event reflecting on its 2003 counterpart.



Could you imagine watching your child die in the air in front of your eyes? When they showed Mrs. McAuliffe's mother smiling one second and then crying into her tissue one second later, my heart sooooo went out to her. This work will make viewers think deeply about how tomorrow is not guaranteed. The work doesn't shy away from the aftermath. It states outright that McAuliffe's father blamed NASA for his daughter's death. It admits that the tragedy was caused by both mechanical and human error.



You've seen VH-1's "I Love the 80s," right? Well, this work had Ronald Reagan and his unique voice present. McAuliffe and many other filmed women had big, 1980s perms. The work doesn't show dancers moonwalking or A-Ha! singing "Take on Me," but your 1980s nostalgia may be stroked by this. (It had no E.T. or gremlins in it either.) A term that young folks probably have never heard, "cold war," comes up here often.



It warmed my heart to see that many individuals and organizations still admire and honor Mrs. McAuliffe. This work does have a redemptive ending. For those who care nothing about space travel or know nothing about the 1980s, you can still learn and grow from this wonderful documentary and the outstanding woman it highlights."

Very touching documentaire

A. Konings | The Netherlands | 10/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This dvd is a must have for spacefans, who understands spaceflight is not only succes but faillures too.

The touching story of Christa Mcaulliffe the first teacher that went to space, but never got up there."