Resnik, Judith, 1949-1986

Judith Resnik was born on April 5, 1949 in Akron, Ohio to Dr. Marvin and Sarah Resnik. She attended Akron public schools, graduating from Firestone High School in 1966. She continued her education, receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1970, and a doctorate in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland in 1977. In January 1978, she was selected to join the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). While at NASA, Dr. Resnik worked on projects supporting Orbiter development, experimental software, the Remote Manipulator System, and training techniques. She became the second American woman to travel into space during her service as a mission specialist aboard the maiden voyage of the Space Shuttle Discovery on August 30, 1984. During this historic flight, she aided in the deployment of three satellites into orbit and was involved with biomedical research. On January 28, 1986 while serving her second flight into space, Dr. Resnik and six fellow astronauts were killed during the launch of the space shuttle Challenger when the shuttle exploded shortly after liftoff.