Toward the end of his first presidential term, Reagan announced the Teacher in Space Project (TISP), Working with NASA, the TISP was intended to expand the boundaries of the American education system as well as send the first civilians into space.

A super intense application process involving thousands was followed by an even more intense training process of ten semi-finalists from whom two teachers were chosen as the winners of the competition. The first-place winner would fly to space.

The second-place winner would be the backup…a substitute teacher.

Once the competition was over, Vice President George H. W. Bush announced the winners. Before revealing the names of the two teachers who have "just the right stuff" to act "as a link between NASA and the nation's school system," he talked about how great teachers are because of all the things they do to educate us (answer: a lot).

Eventually, Vice President Bush announced Christa McAuliffe as the winner. Enthusiastic and unaware of the events to come, her response seems spooky and sad in hindsight.

With gratitude, she quips about the talkative nature of teachers and gives a shout-out to her fellow competitors when she says,

It's not often that a teacher is at a loss for words. I know my students wouldn't think so. I've made nine wonderful friends over the last two weeks. And when that shuttle goes, there might be one body, but there's going to be ten souls that I'm taking with me.

See what we mean about spooky in hindsight?