Catherine “Cady” Coleman is an astronaut and a traditional Irish musician. When she blasts off into outer space sometime in 2011, she will be playing Irish music on a flute that was made in the late 1890’s, given to her by the “Chieftians” Matt Malloy.
Twenty-five years ago on January 28 another Irish-American Christa McAuliffe roared off the launch pad in Florida on the space ship “Challenger” with six astronauts. She was the first high school teacher and the first private citizen selected to experience outer space. As the rocket hurled off the launch pad the sky erupted into white smoke and with it the terrible realization that they were all gone! Her mother continues to speak to teachers and students about Christa’s message — that teachers are important.
