Short answers, pulled from the story.
Samantha Smith was an American child peace activist born in 1972 who wrote a letter to Soviet leader Yuri Andropov asking if he wanted peace. She traveled to the Soviet Union in July 1983 where she visited Artek camp and met with cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova to foster goodwill between nations.
Samantha Smith died on the 25th of August 1983 when Beechcraft 99 commuter plane Flight 1808 crashed one mile southwest of Lewiston-Auburn Regional Airport during a rainy night landing attempt. The accident killed all six passengers and two crew members due to steep flight path angle and speed under ground radar failure conditions.
A replacement monument to Samantha Smith stands in Voronezh Russia since retiree Valentin Vaulin raised private donations to build it in 2003 following the theft of the original statue after Soviet dissolution in 1991. Additional memorials include streets named after her in Buryatia Bryansk region Kazakhstan and elementary schools in Sammamish Washington.
Samantha Smith traveled to the Soviet Union in July 1983 because she saw an image of Yuri Andropov in Time magazine dated the 22nd of November 1982 and asked why no one wrote to ask if he wanted peace. Her journey included visits to Artek camp where she performed May There Always Be Sunshine and met with cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova.
Her mother Jane Smith founded The Samantha Smith Foundation in October 1985 which fostered student exchanges between countries until formal dissolution in 2014. Her father Arthur worked as an instructor at Ricker College while the family had settled in Manchester Maine before her death.