Memorial Rites Held for 3 of Challenger Astronauts

The long goodby to shuttle Challenger’s crew continued today with a private funeral Mass for the family of Christa McAuliffe, a memorial service at which Judith Resnik’s father said thank-you for the outpouring of sympathy, and a public tribute to Ronald McNair.

Today’s activities followed a weekend of memorials to astronauts Gregory Jarvis, McAuliffe, McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Resnik, Francis Scobee and Michael Smith, the seven astronauts who died Tuesday when their spacecraft exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral.

The priest who married Christa and Steven McAuliffe celebrated a private funeral Mass for the schoolteacher today in Concord, N.H., with Steven and the couple’s two children, Scott, 9, and Caroline, 6, in attendance.

Father James Leary, of St. Joseph’s Church in Bristol, Conn., is Christa’s cousin and married the McAuliffes in Framingham, Mass., in 1970.

Invited Guests Only

Also attending the Mass was Barbara Morgan, the alternate teacher-in-space astronaut from McCall, Ida., who trained with Christa; Christa’s parents, Ed and Grace Corrigan of Framingham, and Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston.

The service was for invited guests only, including friends of the couple, fellow teachers, members of the law firm where McAuliffe works and Gov. John H. Sununu. The streets near the church were blocked several hours before the service.

In Akron, Ohio, Dr. Marvin Resnik told a crowd of students, astronauts, politicians and friends, “There’s nothing much I can say except thank-you for your caring and sympathizing in our loss.” He spoke at a service in Akron’s Firestone High School, where Judith Resnik graduated as class valedictorian 20 years ago.

Resnik’s father quoted from a letter from a neighbor, who wrote him, “As parents, there is a personal door to grief that no one else can enter.” But the letter went on to say, “The sheer numbers of people (who) mourn with you must be a great comfort to you. There is a world that has been touched. . . . “

Glenn’s Tribute

Among the other speakers in the service in the high school gymnasium were Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio), the first American to orbit the Earth, who said the greatest tribute to Resnik and the other crew members would be to continue space exploration.

“Judy would be the very first person to say, ‘Let’s fix it and get on with it,’ ” Glenn said.

In Lake City, S.C., the mayor and other dignitaries planned a public tribute later today to mission specialist McNair.