Lemont students honor legacy of astronauts killed in Challenger explosion at Indiana learning center

HAMMOND, Ind. (WLS) -- The worlds of science and education come together at the Challenger Learning Center in Hammond, Indiana, which honors the legacy of the "Challenger seven," while inspiring future generations of explorers.

Fifth graders from Central School in Lemont were searching for water on Mars Wednesday, getting hands-on experience as astronauts on NASA-simulated equipment.

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Frank Risatti, 11, says he has more of an interest in space now.

"We detected asteroids and weather," said Risatti, a Central School student.

Greg Karas led the lesson.

He's a retired school teacher who's always had a passion for space travel.

In 1985, the Indiana native jumped at the chance to apply for the brand new Teacher in Space program announced by President Ronald Reagan.

"I was teaching fourth grade at Morgan Township School over in Porter County at the time. And they sent me a message, 'hey, you made it as an Indiana semi-finalist,'" Karas said.

Ultimately, high school teacher Christa McAuliffe of New Hampshire was selected out of more than 11,000 applicants.

She joined the six crew members of the space shuttle Challenger, which launched Jan. 28, 1986.

"I'm just giving a spelling test, and the kindergarten teacher comes in and says, 'did you see?' I said, 'oh! Did they launch it?' And she goes, 'they died.' I go, 'what?' She said, 'the space shuttle blew up when it took off, and I couldn't believe it,'" Karas said.

Karas says he turned on the TV, and watched the replay of Challenger breaking up more than 70 seconds into liftoff.

That deadly explosion was a devastating sight witnessed in classrooms across the country.

The families of the crew members created Challenger Learning Centers to keep their legacies alive.

"This is an everyday living memorial that everyday students come in through this building. We talk about those seven astronauts," said Lara Bates, executive director for Challenger Learning Center of Northwestern Indiana.

Karina Rychtarczyk, 11, admitted she did not know about the Challenger disaster before coming to the center, but was inspired to explore her interest in math.

"It really motivated me to do this well, and obviously it's really tragic. And I'm sure that the seven crewmates that went on the shuttle would be so proud to see where Challenger has come from," Rychtarczyk said.