Barbara Morgan | |
|---|---|
 Morgan in 2006 | |
| Born | Barbara Radding (1951-11-28)November 28, 1951 (age 73) Fresno, California, U.S. |
| Education | Stanford University (BS) |
| Spouse | Clay Morgan |
| Children | 2 |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
Time in space | 12d 17h 53m |
| Selection | |
| Missions | STS-118 |
Mission insignia |  |
Barbara Radding Morgan (born November 28, 1951) is an Americanteacher and a formerNASAastronaut. She participated in theTeacher in Space Project as backup toChrista McAuliffe for the 1986ill-fatedSTS-51-L mission of theSpace ShuttleChallenger. In 1998, eight years after the Teacher in Space Project had ended, she was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate, training as amission specialist; astronaut Morgan flew onSTS-118 in August 2007. As such, she became the first teacher (by original career) to go into space.[1]
Morgan was born to Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Radding in 1951 and raised inFresno, California, where she attendedHerbert Hoover High School. Following graduation in 1969, she was accepted toStanford University inPalo Alto, California, where she graduated with distinction in 1973 with aB.A. inHuman Biology. She obtained her teaching credential fromNotre Dame de Namur University in nearbyBelmont in 1974.[2]
Morgan began her teaching career in 1974 on theFlathead Indian Reservation at Arlee Elementary School inArlee, Montana, where she taught remedial reading and math. From 1975 to 1978, she taught remedial reading/math and second grade at McCall-Donnelly Elementary School inMcCall, Idaho. From 1978 to 1979, Morgan taught English and science to third graders atColegio Americano de Quito inQuito, Ecuador, for a year. From 1979 to 1998, Morgan taught second, third, and fourth grades at McCall-Donnelly Elementary School.[3]
Morgan was selected as the backup candidate for the NASATeacher in Space Project on July 19, 1985. From September 1985 to January 1986, Morgan trained withChrista McAuliffe and theSpace ShuttleChallenger crew at NASA'sJohnson Space Center,Houston, Texas. Following McAuliffe's death in theChallenger disaster, Morgan assumed the duties of Teacher in Space Designee. From March 1986 to July 1986, she worked with NASA, speaking to educational organizations throughout the country. In the fall of 1986, Morgan returned to Idaho to resume her teaching career. She taught second and third grades at McCall-Donnelly Elementary and continued to work with NASA's Education Division, Office of Human Resources and Education. Her duties as Teacher in Space Designee included public speaking, educational consulting, curriculum design, and serving on theNational Science Foundation's Federal Task Force for Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering.[4]
In January 1998, 12 years after McAuliffe's death, Morgan was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate (mission specialist) and reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1998 to begin training to become a full-time astronaut. Following the completion of two years of training and evaluation, she was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Space Station Operations Branch. She served in the Astronaut OfficeCAPCOM Branch, working inMission Control as prime communicator with on-orbit crews.[5]
Like many other astronauts andcosmonauts, Morgan is a licensedamateur radio operator, having passed the technician class license exam in 2003. This qualified her to use the facilities of theAmateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) project.[6][7]
Morgan was initially scheduled to fly on theSTS-118 mission onSpace ShuttleColumbia in November 2004. During thedisaster that destroyedColumbia in February 2003, she was aboard a trainingchase 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 toEndeavour.
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 theEducator Astronaut Project.NASA AdministratorMichael D. Griffin clarified at a press conference after STS-118 that Morgan was not considered a mission specialist educator, but rather was a standard mission specialist, who had been a teacher.[9]
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 atWalt Disney World in Florida. Morgan's words from that day were etched into a plaque on a wall of Mission: Space. The "Wall of Honor" contains quotes from notable people, such asNeil Armstrong,John F. Kennedy,Charles Lindbergh,Stephen Hawking,Carl Sagan,Galileo, and Christa McAuliffe. Morgan's plaque is placed beside McAuliffe's, which says: "Space is for everybody ... That's our new frontier out there."[15] This event was one of a series of lectures Morgan would complete.
STS-118, an assembly mission to theInternational Space Station, successfully launched from Florida'sKennedy Space Center at 6:36:42 p.m. EDT, 8 August 2007.[16] Morgan served asrobotic arm operator and transfer coordinator, coordinating the transfer of over 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) of cargo to the International Space Station, and bringing home over 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg).[17] In addition to her other duties, Morgan participated in twenty-minute amateur radio question-and-answer sessions with young people at the Discovery Center of Idaho and other centers, and joined Mission SpecialistAlvin Drew in an education event with young people at theChallenger Center for Space Science Education inAlexandria, Virginia.[18][19] The event was hosted by June Scobee, widow of Space ShuttleChallenger's commander,Richard "Dick" Scobee. The center honored Morgan with thePresident George H.W. Bush Leadership Award. STS-118 landed successfully at Kennedy Space Center on August 21, a day ahead of schedule due to concerns aboutHurricane Dean.[20][21][22]
On June 28, 2008, Morgan announced that she would leaveNASA for a teaching job atBoise 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 theNational Education Association. The following month, Barbara R. Morgan Elementary School opened in Meridian, Idaho.[24]
She appeared on the 2020Netflix documentary miniseriesChallenger: The Final Flight.[25]
Morgan received theAdler Planetarium Women in Space Science Award in 2008.[26]
ActressMary Chris Wall portrayed Morgan in the 1990 television filmChallenger.
Morgan is married to writer Clay Morgan of McCall, Idaho;[27] they have two sons. She is a classicalflutist who also enjoysjazz, literature, hiking, swimming, andcross-country skiing.[2][28][29]
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