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

Re:Need another seven astr....

[Safety Cap]

I would have thought that after 9/11 people would be a little more sensitive towards life and the loss-there-of.

How so? More people die annually from car wrecks, AIDS, and handguns every year than the number who died in WTC. Yet, we still joke about how _(insert region/ethnicity)_ can't drive for jack, or how _(insert region/ethnicity)_ are always shooting themselves. And you laugh, too!

Space is dangerous -- there are a million ways to die. The 7 in Challenger STS 51-L weren't the first to die (wasn't it 3 who died in Apollo 10---for America---anyway?), and they most certainly won't be the last.

If we are too scared that we might get hurt or die, then we need to retreat to our Westwood playpens (or stay jacked into the idiot box for the Must-C-TV "adventure hour") and let some real explorers take some risks and get some glory, Janet!

Bill Nye

[!splut]

I realize that it's a very symbolic and generous thing for NASA to do the whole teachers-in-space program. But what do we really get out of sending someone's 7th grade Earth Science teacher into orbit? Is it worth tens of millions of dollars for the ride, plus a several millions more in training expenses, to have this teacher bring up his/her class's bean sprout experiments, give two TV interviews, go on the high school lecture circuit, and mabye publish a book or two? ("Teachers Among The Stars: Education in the Space Age")

Probably not. NASA is looking for publicity, and frankly, that's what I would hope they get out of this program, too. I mean, it is public interest in the space program that is going to determine whether we send men to Mars ten years from now, or fifty.

I want a space-teacher who will be able to spark the interest of a whole generation of children, and teachers, and parents. Someone who actually has the talent to make people interested and excited about space, science, and exploration. Someone who will be able to reach an audience. Someone cool. Someone we trust.

I want Bill Nye to go up to the space station, and I want him to do cool experiments and film half a dozen special episodes of Bill Nye, The Science Guy up there. He's worth twenty 8th grade Earth Science teachers.