Barbara Morgan
Barbara Morgan | |
---|---|
NASA astronaut | |
Time in space | 12d 17h 53m |
Selection | |
Missions | STS-118 |
Mission insignia |
Barbara Radding Morgan (born November 28, 1951) is an American teacher and a former NASA astronaut. She participated in the Teacher in Space program as backup to Christa McAuliffe for the 1986 ill-fated STS-51-L mission of the Space Shuttle Challenger. She then trained as a mission specialist, and flew on STS-118 in August 2007. She is the first teacher to have been to space.[1]
Early life and education
Morgan was born to Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Radding in 1951 and raised in
Teaching career since 1974
Morgan began her teaching career in 1974 on the
Teacher in Space Project
Morgan was selected as the backup candidate for the NASA
NASA career
In January 1998, 12 years after McAuliffe's death, Morgan was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate (
Like many other astronauts and
Morgan was initially scheduled to fly on the STS-118 mission on Space Shuttle Columbia in November 2004. During the disaster that destroyed Columbia in February 2003, she was aboard a training chase plane which was following the shuttle as it prepared to land.[8] As a result of the disaster, STS-118 was delayed until 2007 and was moved to Endeavour.
Morgan's duties as a mission specialist were no different than those of other crew members. While NASA press releases and media briefings often referred to her as a "mission specialist educator" or "educator astronaut", Morgan did not train in the
Prior to her flight on STS-118, NASA seemed to limit Morgan's exposure to the press, but she did a series of interviews shortly before the start of the mission about what the crew of STS-118 would be doing to help build the International Space Station,[10][11][12][13] commenting, "You know, there's a great sense of pride to be able to be involved in a human endeavor that takes us all a little bit farther. When you look down and see our Earth, and you realize what we are trying to do as a human race, it's pretty profound."[14]
Three weeks after Morgan's mission ended, she conducted her first space education assignment at
Spaceflight experience
Post-NASA career
On June 28, 2008, Morgan announced that she would leave NASA for a teaching job at Boise State University. In August 2008, Morgan took a full-time position as a distinguished educator in residence; a dual appointment to BSU's colleges of engineering and education. There she advises, leads and represents the university in policy development, advocacy and fund-raising in science, technology, engineering and math.[23]
On July 4, 2008, Morgan received the "Friend of Education" award from the National Education Association. The following month, Barbara R. Morgan Elementary School opened in McCall, Idaho.[24]
She appeared on the 2020 Netflix documentary miniseries Challenger: The Final Flight.[25]
Awards and honors
Morgan received the Adler Planetarium Women in Space Science Award in 2008.[26]
Actress
Personal life
Morgan is married to writer Clay Morgan of McCall, Idaho;
References
- ^ "The story of Barbara Morgan, the first teacher in space". PBS NewsHour. January 28, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ a b NASA (July 2010). "BARBARA RADDING MORGAN, NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- ISBN 0966796144.
- ^ Dunn, Marcia (November 6, 2003). "NASA's Barbara Morgan Still Grounded Following Tragedy". Space.com. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
- ^ Banke, Jim (May 21, 2002). "Barbara Morgan Rides Wave of Fame, Awaits Flight Assignment". Space.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
- ^ ARRL (August 7, 2007). "Educator Astronaut Barbara Morgan, KD5VNP, Gets Ready to Launch into Space". ARRL Amateur Radio. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
- ^ QRZ (2003). "Barbara Morgan - HAM Radio information". QRZ.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
- ^ Woodward, Tim. "Disaster halts teacher's chance to fly — again", Florida Today, February 2, 2003, page 10A.
- ^ Michael Griffin (2007). "STS-118 Post-landing news conference - Comments by Dr. Michael Griffin, Administrator of NASA". NASA TV Post-landing news conference - August 21, 2007. NASA.
- ^ Franklin, Marcia (August 1, 2007). "Parabolic Tales: An Idaho journalist endeavors to tell an astronaut's story". Boise weekly. Archived from the original on August 10, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
- ^ NASA (2006). "Preflight Interview: Barbara Morgan". NASA. Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
- ^ NASA. "Second preflight Interview with Barbara Morgan". NASA. Archived from the original on September 20, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
- ^ Associated Press (August 7, 2007). "After 22-year wait, teacher ready for space trip". CNN. Archived from the original on September 18, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
- ^ Malik, Tariq (August 22, 2007). "Teacher-Astronaut, Crewmates Glad to be Home". Space.com. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
- ^ "Teacher-astronaut takes mission to Disney". CNN / Associated Press. Associated Press. 2007. Archived from the original on September 17, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
- ^ NASA (August 9, 2007). "STS-118 Status Report 01". NASA. Archived from the original on August 23, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
- ^ NASA (August 14, 2007). "STS-118 Status Report #13". NASA. Archived from the original on August 23, 2007. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
- ^ NASA (2007). "Barbara Morgan Talks With Students on Ham Radio". NASA. Archived from the original on August 22, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
- ^ Schwartz, John (August 15, 2007). "Astronaut Teaches in Space, and Lesson Is Bittersweet". New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
- ^ Malik, Tariq (August 18, 2007). "Astronauts Primed for Shorter Spacewalk at ISS". Space.com. Future US, Inc. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ prlog.org (August 21, 2007). "Welcome Home Barbara Morgan; More Teachers Should Fly". Space Frontier Foundation/US Rocket Academy. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
- ^ Space Frontier Foundation (August 8, 2007). "Godspeed Barbara Morgan; Plans for Large Numbers of Teachers in Space". Space Frontier Foundation. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
- ^ Clem, Kylie; Yembrick, John (June 27, 2008). "H08-161: Astronaut Barbara Morgan to Leave NASA". NASA News. NASA. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ Barbara R. Morgan Elementary School Archived January 6, 2022, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
- ^ Challenger: The Final Flight episode 2 recap – “HELP!”, Ready Steady Cut, September 16, 2020
- ^ Mullen, William (May 1, 2008). "Adler award honors teacher-astronaut's grit". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
- ^ "McCall man wins fiction contest". Lewiston Morning Tribune. May 8, 1983. p. 2E.
- ^ NASA (2007). "STS-118 Education Resources". NASA. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
- ^ spacefacts.de (2007). "Spacefacts: Astronaut Biography: Barbara Morgan". spacefacts.de. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
External links
- NASA biography - Barbara Morgan July 2010
- NASA Shuttle Missions
- STS-118 Education Resources
- Barbara Morgan: No Limits, 2008 Idaho Public Television documentary
- Barbara Morgan Commencement Speaker: Notre Dame de Namur University, Belmont CA Commencement
- Barbara R. Morgan Elementary School Archived January 6, 2022, at the Wayback Machine - McCall, Idaho - opened 2008
- Adler Planetarium Women in Space Science Award
- Barbara Morgan at IMDb
- Barbara Morgan interview (1985) explaining how she wanted to fly in space since way back when the first chimp was being launched