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Teacher Turned Astronaut Makes Dream Come True!
We have liftoff! The space shuttle Endeavour reached orbit last week carrying a very special passenger. After more than 20 years waiting, Barbara Morgan has made it into space.
Morgan was a teacher in Idaho back in 1985. She was number two out of 114 teachers picked to go into space aboard the space shuttle Challenger. Christa McAuliffe was number one. Unfortunately disaster struck during launch and the Challenger exploded in mid-air in 1986. The shuttle and everyone onboard were lost.
Morgan returned to teaching, but never gave up on her dream. In 1998, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA invited her to become a full-fledged astronaut! But when the shuttle Columbia exploded on re-entry in 2003, all shuttle missions were put on hold until safety measures were developed.
Meanwhile, Morgan trained to operate a robotic arm that would be used on shuttle missions. She also continued to work with NASA's Education Division, helping to teach science across the country. Her hard work and dedication paid off!
Now she's orbiting 214 miles above the earth! She's operating the arm as she was trained to do. Before the launch she said, "For me, especially from a schoolteacher's point of view, it's applied mathematics. It's a lot of fun but it's also very challenging and very serious."
Congratulations, Astronaut Morgan!
I'm Ben and that's what happened in our nation this week!
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