---
title: 'Video: How one child’s interest in space turned into a passion for learning'
description: Do you remember the Challenger explosion? This woman does. In fact, that tragic event created a passion for learning that made her the scientist she is today.
slug: video-how-one-childs-interest-in-space-turned-into-a-passion-for-learning
author: The Understood Team
published: '2019-10-16T11:49:42.668Z'
thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/28DB6B84D64F4F0EB23575D87E59413D/3cce9ea4cd3913833454bdc187ed0f95/040717_Video-_How_One_Childs_Interest_in_Astronauts_Turned_Into_a_Passion_for_Learning.jpg
source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/video-how-one-childs-interest-in-space-turned-into-a-passion-for-learning
lang: en
---

# Video: How one child’s interest in space turned into a passion for learning

When she was in sixth grade, Gabrielle Rappolt-Schlichtmann had “checked out” of school. Her reading challenges made learning difficult. She avoided reading at all costs. But that all changed with one historic moment: the Challenger explosion.

Hear the touching story about how that tragic event — and a very tuned-in parent — turned a struggling student with [dyslexia](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-dyslexia) into a [successful scientist](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/video-being-a-scientist-with-dyslexia).

[![Video](https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/28DB6B84D64F4F0EB23575D87E59413D/3cce9ea4cd3913833454bdc187ed0f95/040717_Video-_How_One_Childs_Interest_in_Astronauts_Turned_Into_a_Passion_for_Learning.jpg)](https://www.youtube.com/embed/nbV0frDgPzk)

---

## Explore related topics and articles

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---

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