69ý

Federal

Teacher-Astronaut Ready for Liftoff

By The Associated Press — August 08, 2007 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

More than half of the teachers who competed with Christa McAuliffe to fly in the doomed space shuttle Challenger two decades ago were to watch Wednesday as Endeavour lifted off with NASA’s first educator-astronaut aboard.

Former schoolteacher Barbara Morgan, who was McAuliffe’s backup, will be seated on the lower deck in the middle, exactly where McAuliffe sat 21 years ago. (“Teacher-Astronaut Out to Lift Academic Sights of 69ý,” July 16, 2007.)

“I think the great thing about it is that people will be thinking about Challenger and thinking about all the hard work lots of folks over many years have done to continue their mission,” Morgan said last month.

Endeavour, the space shuttle that was built to replace the Challenger, which blew up after lift off in 1986, was to blast off Wednesday evening on a two-week trip to the international space station.

Various media organizations have been interviewing teacher and astronaut Barbara R. Morgan ahead of her upcoming passage on the space shuttle Endeavour STS-118 mission to the International Space Station. Listen to excerpts of Ms. Morgan’s comments on her upcoming mission and the impact she hopes it has on today’s students.
—Photo and Audio courtesy of NASA

Seven astronauts are assigned to the mission, including a Canadian doctor, a chemist who knows sign language and is a former competitive sprinter and long jumper, and a commander whose identical twin brother is also a shuttle pilot.

But the spotlight is on Morgan.

First lady Laura Bush called Morgan on Tuesday and congratulated her from one schoolteacher to another. She told her teachers and students will be watching her mission with pride.

On hand at Kennedy Space Center will be more than half the 114 Teacher-in-Space nominees from 1985 and two of NASA’s three other teacher-astronauts who were chosen in 2004.

They will be joined by many of the participants from an education conference that centered on Morgan’s flight. The conference in nearby Orlando concluded Tuesday, Endeavour’s original liftoff date, but most of the about 400 attendees are expected to stay for the launch. The one-day delay was caused by a leak in the shuttle crew cabin that needed to be plugged.

The families of the lost Challenger astronauts also were invited for liftoff. At least one will be represented. June Scobee Rodgers, whose husband was Challenger’s commander, will attend on behalf of the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, which she helped to establish following the 1986 accident.

Morgan, 55, a former Idaho elementary school teacher who has spent nearly the past decade in astronaut training, will operate Endeavour’s robot arm and oversee the transfer of cargo from the shuttle into the station. Those are her main jobs, given all the station construction work and repairs that need to be done on this mission.

But she will make time to speak with schoolchildren from orbit. Six hours have been set aside exclusively for education. She’s also taking up 10 million basil seeds that will be distributed to teachers and schoolchildren to grow in space-style chambers.

NASA hopes Morgan’s mission will inspire youngsters to pursue science, math and engineering careers.

See Also

The will feature exclusive entries from Irene Klotz, a journalist who will be in contact with Morgan throughout the mission. Read the recent post: .

“Our call to action at NASA is to encourage the next generation of explorers,” said Joyce Leavitt Winterton, NASA’s assistant administrator for education. She called space “the ultimate classroom” on Tuesday and said McAuliffe would be on her mind—and many educators’ minds—throughout the mission.

McAuliffe and six others were killed Jan. 28, 1986, when Challenger exploded barely a minute after liftoff. Morgan was watching from the press site, not far from the launch pad.

She eventually returned to her teaching job in McCall, Idaho, but continued to speak publicly on NASA’s behalf. In 1998, Morgan was presented as NASA’s first educator-astronaut, a teacher who would train to fly in space as a full-fledged astronaut rather than simply a guest teacher.

On Feb. 1, 2003, Morgan was in NASA’s shuttle training aircraft flying over the landing strip, with the chief astronaut at the controls. They were awaiting the arrival of Columbia, which was supposed to carry Morgan into orbit that fall.

Again, tragedy struck when the Columbia exploded during re-entry, and Morgan was confronted with another lengthy wait.

“That’s what defines teachers is perseverance and patience,” she explained, patiently, when asked by yet another reporter about her two decades of sticking by NASA.

Since she was named McAuliffe’s backup in 1985, Morgan and her author husband, Clay Morgan, have had two sons. She said all three have supported her dedication to NASA and share her belief in the space program.

She’s said repeatedly she does not expect to be afraid on launch day, just really, really alert.

Related Tags:

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Teaching 69ý to Use Artificial Intelligence Ethically
Ready to embrace AI in your classroom? Join our master class to learn how to use AI as a tool for learning, not a replacement.
Content provided by 

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Federal A Bill to Kill the Education Department Is Already Filed. Here's What It Says
The bill represents another attempt at a long-term Republican goal.
6 min read
People walk outside the U.S Capitol building in Washington, June 9, 2022.
People walk outside the U.S Capitol building in Washington, June 9, 2022. Legislation has been introduced in the Senate to abolish the Department of Education.
Patrick Semansky/AP
Federal The K-12 World Reacts to Linda McMahon, Trump's Choice for Education Secretary
Some question her lack of experience in education, while supporters say her business background is a major asset.
7 min read
Linda McMahon, former Administrator of Small Business Administration, speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee.
Linda McMahon speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee. McMahon has been selected by President-elect Trump to serve as as the next secretary of education.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal What a National School Choice Program Under President Trump Might Look Like
School choice advocates—and detractors—see a second Trump term as the biggest opportunity in decades for choice at the federal level.
8 min read
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69ý," event in the East Room of the White House, on July 7, 2020, in Washington.
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69ý," event in the East Room of the White House on July 7, 2020, in Washington. He returns to power with more momentum than ever behind policies that allow public dollars to pay for private school education.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal 5 Things to Know About Linda McMahon, Trump's Pick for Education Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump’s selection, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment has long spoken favorably about school choice.
7 min read
Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Oct. 3, 2018.
Linda McMahon speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Oct. 3, 2018, when she was serving as head of the Small Business Administration during President Trump's first administration. McMahon is now President-elect Trump's choice for U.S. secretary of education.
Susan Walsh/AP