Seven Who Flew for All of Us

They would not have seemed out of place at a supermarket check-out counter or standing in line to see a movie. They could have come together by chance just about anywhere in the U.S. Nothing odd here, in this assemblage of sexes and ethnic strains and religions, except maybe the extraordinary American experiment in equality inching forward, for the nation and the world to see, and being taken largely for granted.

Christa McAuliffe, the schoolteacher, received most of the attention, and it is easy to see why. She was articulate and photogenic, a reminder to everyone of what classroom experiences were...