Teacher in Space Project

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Logo of the Teacher in Space Project
Logo of the Teacher in Space Project
Christa McAuliffe and Barbara Morgan, Teacher in space primary and backup crew members for Shuttle Mission STS-51-L
Christa McAuliffe and Barbara Morgan, Teacher in space primary and backup crew members for Shuttle Mission STS-51-L

The Teacher in Space Project (TISP) began as a NASA program announced by President Ronald Reagan on August 27, 1984. The goal was to inspire students, honor teachers, and spur interest in mathematics, science, and space exploration. More than 11,000 teachers applied for the program[1]; in 1985, NASA selected Christa McAuliffe to be the first teacher in space with Barbara Morgan as her backup. McAuliffe died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (STS-51-L) in 1986.

After the Challenger accident, Reagan spoke on national television and assured the nation that the Teacher in Space program would continue. "We'll continue our quest in space," he said. "There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue."[2]

That was not to be, however. NASA eliminated the Teacher in Space project and other efforts to send private citizens to space. In the 1990s, the Teacher in Space project was replaced by the Educator Astronaut Project. Instead of training teachers for five months to be a spaceflight participant who would return to the classroom, the Educator Astronaut program required selectees to give up their teaching careers, move to Houston, and become full-time NASA employees.

Morgan was selected as a NASA Mission Specialist in January 1998, about 12 years after McAuliffe's death. She was assigned to the crew of STS-118, which launched on August 8, 2007. Although it was once reported that Morgan would teach some of the same lessons that McAuliffe planned to teach more than 20 years before, Associated Press reports that "Morgan has no plans to give a lesson from space."[3] Shuttle commander Scott Kelly told a journalist, "I don’t have a teacher as a crewmember. I have a crewmember who used to be a teacher."[4]

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[edit] Teachers in Space reborn

Barbara Morgan, NASA's Mission Specialist, speaks to an audience of students and media during a demonstration at Space Center Houston
Barbara Morgan, NASA's Mission Specialist, speaks to an audience of students and media during a demonstration at Space Center Houston

Today, the Teacher in Space project is being revived, in the private sector. The development of reusable, suborbital launch vehicles by commercial companies makes it possible for nonprofit groups to contemplate sending large numbers of teachers into space. In 2005, Teacher in Space candidate Pam Leestma, a second-grade teacher and cousin of Space Shuttle astronaut David Leestma, flew a training flight aboard a MiG-21 operated by X-Rocket, LLC.[5]In 2006, the Space Frontier Foundation announced a new project called "Teachers in Space."[6] The plural form indicated the greater number of teachers who might be involved. The Foundation believes that hundreds of teachers might fly in space every year and return to their classrooms to inspire the next generation.

Armadillo Aerospace, Masten Space Systems, PlanetSpace, Rocketplane Limited, Inc., and XCOR Aerospace have donated flights to the new Teachers in Space project.[7][8] Advisors to the new Teachers in Space project include SpaceShip One builder and Ansari X-Prize winner Burt Rutan, X-Prize founder Peter Diamandis, Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and private astronaut and X-Prize sponsor Anousheh Ansari.[9]

The Space Frontier Foundation is working with the United States Rocket Academy to draft rules for a "pathfinder" competition to select the first Teacher in Space. The rules will be announced at the Wirefly X PRIZE Cup Competition to be held at Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo, New Mexico the weekend of October 26-28. Applications for the Teacher in Space program will be available immediately after the announcement.[10]

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Challenger Story: The Teacher in Space Project. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
  2. ^ Reagan, Ronald. "Address to the nation on the Challenger disaster", Office of the President, 1986-01-28. Retrieved on 2007-08-13. 
  3. ^ AP. "After 22-Year Wait, Teacher Barbara Morgan Ready To Blast Off To Space Station", Associated Press, 2007-08-04. Retrieved on 2007-08-13. 
  4. ^ Wolcott, Bill. "Writer supports teacher in space program", Allied News.com, 2007-07-31. Retrieved on 2007-08-13. 
  5. ^ Wright, Edward. "Teacher In Space Candidate Completes Proficiency Flight", X-rocket, 2005-03-31. Retrieved on 2007-08-13. 
  6. ^ Tumlinson, Rick. "Teachers in Space Foundation Wants Hundreds to Fly", Space Frontier Foundation, 2006-04-11. Retrieved on 2007-08-13. 
  7. ^ Tumlinson. "Masten Space Systems Donates Rocket Ride to Teacher", Space Frontier Foundation, 2006-10-16. Retrieved on 2007-08-13. 
  8. ^ Tumlinson. "PlanetSpace Joins Teachers in Space Project", Space Frontier Foundation, 2006-10-16. Retrieved on 2007-08-13. 
  9. ^ Tumlinson. "New Teachers In Space Program Gains Momentum", Space Frontier Foundation, 2006-04-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-13. 
  10. ^ Tumlinson. "Godspeed Barbara Morgan; Plans for Large Numbers of Teachers in Space", Space Frontier Foundation, 2007-08-08. Retrieved on 2007-08-13. 

[edit] See also

[edit] External links