Barbara Morgan—Astronaut, Teacher in Space, NEA Member

"Explore, Experiment, Discover"

Barbara Morgan, Astronaut, Teacher in Space, NEA Member

Photo: NASA

Nearly twenty-two years ago, Barbara Morgan, NEA member and elementary school teacher from Boise, Idaho, was selected to train as back-up to her friend and colleague Christa McAuliffe—also an NEA member—NASA's pioneering Teacher in Space. On January 28, 1986, 78 seconds after launch, Space Shuttle Challenger's mission ended in a fiery explosion, and with it, the Teacher in Space program.

Morgan returned to the classroom but continued to work with NASA, and when the Teacher in Space initiative was revived in 1998, she entered the astronaut program full time, training at Johnson Space Center in Houston. After a delay following another Shuttle disaster—the explosion in 2003 of Space Shuttle Columbia—she is finally ready for launch.

On Wednesday evening, August 8th, Morgan departed for space as a full-fledged astronaut, crew member, and Education Mission Specialist on Space Shuttle Endeavor, mission STS-118. In addition to operating the Shuttle's robot arm during three planned space walks and helping to transfer cargo, she participated in an educational interactive video broadcast with students on Earth, as well as filmed "teachable moments" to be used post-flight in lesson plans.

During the 14-day mission, Morgan also had responsibility for 10 million basil seeds that were exposed to microgravity in on-board growth chambers. These seeds will then be distributed to K–12 schools on a first-come, first-served basis as part of NASA's Engineering Design Challenge that encourages students to develop their own designs for moon- or Mars-based plant growth chambers.

"There's a little bit of a metaphor there, it's really planting the seed to get them going," Morgan said of the student challenge. "It's getting something physical in their hand that they can go and do what we do—explore, experiment and discover."

NEA salutes Barbara Morgan, who exemplifies the qualities of dedication, courage, and perserverance that are hallmarks of those who choose the teaching profession, and wishes the entire crew of Space Shuttle Endeavor a successful and productive mission.

More Links

• Interview: "Ready to Fly," NEA Today, January 2001
• Interview: "Reach for the Stars," NEA Today, October 2002