The novel is set in the 1980s and during the national excitement surrounding the launch of the Challenger space shuttle. Because of the mission’s inclusion of New Hampshirite Christa McAuliffe and its ultimate destruction, the personal impact of the launch is crucial to Nova’s development as a character.

The First Teacher in Space Contest, which resulted in NASA’s selection of McAuliffe out of more than 11,000 applicants, inspired Nova (and Bridget) to believe in the possibility of their dreams. They thought of themselves as regular girls and of McAuliffe as a regular teacher just like the ones they saw in school every day. Thus, when McAuliffe was chosen to participate in the mission, including delivering two lessons to children on Earth from space, Nova and Bridget felt represented. McAuliffe isn’t a trained astronaut who lives in some faraway metropolitan place like New York City or Los Angeles. Instead, she’s a “high school social studies teacher from New Hampshire” who shows the girls that “anyone can have a dream” and reach it (88). Bridget told Nova, “When Challenger sends Christa McAuliffe into space, […] we’ll go too, but in our minds” (88). They relate to McAuliffe’s identity and her dream, and the impact of this feeling makes them emotional and optimistic about their own dreams.