NASA To Resume "Teacher in Space" Program

Bishop923 writes "According to this CNN story it appears that NASA is resuming the Teacher in Space program with the first teacher to go up in 2004. The Teacher in Space program was suspended after Christa McAuliffe, a high school teacher, and the rest of the crew perished in the Challenger Explosion." This is also the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight in 1961; we did a good write-up last year.

Comments

Not really a teacher

[Sygiinu]

The PR spin on this story (the bit the Joe public will pick up on) is that Barbara Morgan is your average teacher. However, article says she's not a teacher anymore and is now a "full-time astronaut", meaning she's on the NASA payroll and not really a civilian.

While seeming to be getting the taxpayers... err, sorry, public into space, NASA has its doors shut as tight as ever.

I want to see space travel for the masses before I die and would love to see NASA taking real members of the public up as crew on missions, but in this case it seems they are trying to pull the wool over our eyes.

Re:What do they add to the mission?

[mobydobius]

NASA wanted to send up teachers because they could give lessons to children from space. Christa McAuliffe was supposed to give several lessons to her class, and other classes around the country. The idea was to make the life of astronauts (their experiments, how they live and sleep, what they do and work on, etc.) accessible to children through mini-lessons.

Sure, it was (and still is) a symbolic gesture/publicity stunt, but it's a helluva lot more useful and interesting than sending up the first plumber in space. Odds are, he couldn't even help the crew with their toilets.

Re:Need another seven astr....

[Darby]

(wasn't it 3 who died in Apollo 10---for America---anyway?)

Apollo 1, Challenger was the first time Americans died after the thing took off.
The Apollo 1 deaths were during a test. They were caused by the explosivity of velcro in a pressurized oxygen environment as warned in advance by the company that made the capsule.

(All info in this post is from "From the Earth to The Moon" which I think freaking rocked, but if it's inaccurate, that's why.)

Re:A little off ontopic but who watched challenger

[Tasselhoff]

I was one of the Search and Rescue crewman who was assigned from my Squadron (USN - HSL40) to patrol the Launch and then find the Challanger and it's Peices/Parts. I was fliing some 80 miles north of the cape when it happened... I was there. On 9/11/2001 I was in Upstate NY and watched this new tragidy occure far away from my family in Kansas and knew that we were at war again. I think this B*** S*** with the Americian Taliban is absurd. They should be in Cuba with their brotherern and if found guilty... Stand full trial as treasonous to their home country, weither it be USA, Canada, England...

GOD BLESS AMERICA and all her soles abroad, where ever they may be.