Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Educator-Astronaut Ready for Space

Barbara Morgan may have waited longer to fly than any other astronaut. Chosen to be the backup to teacher-in-space Christa McAuliffe in 1985, she watched as McAuliffe and the "teachernaut" program died in the Challenger disaster. Morgan returned to teaching elementary school, only to come back to NASA in 1998 and qualify as a mission specialist for the Shuttle program. On 7 August 2007, she and six other crewmembers will launch on the shuttle Endeavor to service and expand the International Space Station. Morgan will operate the shuttle's robotic arm to support astronauts on EVA working on the station. She will also work in several educational projects.
COMMENT: "Dedication" and "determination" are overused words... but they are very well justified in reference to Barbara Morgan. Godspeed to Barbara and her crew.

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