The Challenger space shuttle exploded on January 28, 1986, just seconds after taking off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Among the seven crew members killed was Judith Resnik, the first American Jewish astronaut in space. Resnik joined the space program in 1978 after graduating from Carnegie-Mellon with a BS in electrical engineering and the University of Maryland with a PhD in electrical engineering. Prior to the 1986 Challenger tragedy, Resnik served as the mission specialist on Discovery's maiden voyage in 1984, logging 144 hours 57 minutes in space. Resnik was the second American woman in space (after Sally Ride) and the fourth worldwide.

Before joining the space program, Resnik worked in the radar division of RCA, as a biomedical engineer in neurophysics at the National Institute of Health, and finally for the Xerox corporation. She was accepted into the NASA program, along with five other women, in 1978. Raised in Akron, Ohio, Resnik was a classical pianist and a gourmet cook, and also enjoyed running and bicycling. She was active in the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the IEEE Committee on Professional Opportunities for Women, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Association of University Women.

Source: Jewish Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia, pp. 1142-1143; Jewish Virtual Library, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ jsource/biography/ Resnik.html.