Women in History · Head-to-head
Svetlana Savitskaya vs Christa McAuliffe
Yes — based on their recorded years, Svetlana Savitskaya (1948–) and Christa McAuliffe (1948–1986) were alive at the same time for at least part of their lives.
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Svetlana Savitskaya
The second woman in space and the first woman to perform a spacewalk, during her missions aboard the Salyut 7 space station.
Key achievements
- Became the second woman in space in 1982, nearly two decades after Valentina Tereshkova
- Performed the first spacewalk by a woman during her 1984 mission to the Salyut 7 space station
- Set multiple world records in aviation before her cosmonaut career
- Later served as a member of the Russian State Duma
Fast fact
Before becoming a cosmonaut, Savitskaya was an accomplished aerobatic pilot and set multiple world aviation records.
Full profile of Svetlana Savitskaya →Christa McAuliffe
A high school teacher selected to be the first ordinary citizen in space, who died along with six crewmates in the 1986 Challenger disaster.
Key achievements
- Was selected from more than 11,000 applicants for NASA's Teacher in Space Project in 1985
- Prepared lesson plans intended to be taught live from orbit aboard the space shuttle Challenger
- Became a symbol of civilian participation in space exploration
- Was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor
Fast fact
McAuliffe was selected from over 11,000 applicants for NASA's Teacher in Space Project before dying in the Challenger explosion 73 seconds after liftoff on 28 January 1986.
Full profile of Christa McAuliffe →Who lived first, Svetlana Savitskaya or Christa McAuliffe?
Svetlana Savitskaya (1948–) lived first, before Christa McAuliffe (1948–1986), based on their recorded years.
Were Svetlana Savitskaya and Christa McAuliffe contemporaries?
Yes — based on their recorded years, Svetlana Savitskaya (1948–) and Christa McAuliffe (1948–1986) were alive at the same time for at least part of their lives.
What do Svetlana Savitskaya and Christa McAuliffe have in common?
Both Svetlana Savitskaya and Christa McAuliffe are grouped among our Women in History figures and lived during the Modern Era.