CONCORD, N.H. -- A black granite tombstone adorned with a floral wreath from President Reagan and the first lady quietly has been placed on the grave of Christa McAuliffe, the teacher killed in the Challenger explosion.
A light dusting of snow Thursday outlined the simple grave marker of polished stone bearing the symbol of NASA's Teacher in Space program - a torch pierced by the shuttle rising toward seven stars.
A wreath contains 25 red and 25 white carnations and 25 irises. Concord florists said it was arranged according to explicit directions from the White House.
McAuliffe, who was killed in the Jan. 28 Challenger explosion, was buried in cemetery on a hill in the city where she taught social studies. Her husband and two small children still live in Concord.
McAuliffe's remains were buried May 1 in a private ceremony. The gravestone was put in place early Wednesday.
The inscription on the marker reads 'S. Christa McAuliffe. Wife. Mother. Teacher. Pioneer Woman. Crew member, Space Shuttle Challenger.'
Below it, an inscription written by Steven McAuliffe, her husband, reads:
'She helped people. She laughed. She loved and is loved. She appreciated the world's natural beauty. She was curious and sought to learn who we are and what the universe is about. She relied on her own judgment and moral courage to do right. She cared about the suffering of her fellow man. She tried to protect our spaceship Earth. She taught her children to do the same.'
