Logo of the Teacher in Space Project

The Teacher in Space Project (TISP) was a NASA program announced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 to inspire students, honor teachers, and spur excitement in math, science, and space exploration. That same year, 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). Image File history File links TeacherInSpaceLogo. ... Image File history File links TeacherInSpaceLogo. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 - June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Barbara R. Morgan (November 28, 1951 - ) is the first NASA Educator Astronaut, scheduled to fly on STS-118. ... The iconic image of Space Shuttle Challengers smoke plume after its breakup 73 seconds after launch. ... The launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission 51L/STS-33, the 25th of the STS (Space Transportation System) program, began at an estimated time of 16:38:00. ...

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."^[1]

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. The Educator Astronaut Project is a NASA program designed to educate students and spur excitement in math, science, and space exploration. ...

Morgan was selected as NASA's first Educator 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."^[2] 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."^[3] STS-118 is the next Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station, to be flown by the Space Shuttle Endeavour. ...

Recently, the Teacher in Space project was revived by the private sector. The development of reusable, suborbital launch vehicles by commercial companies made it possible 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.^[4] In 2006, the Space Frontier Foundation announced a new project called "Teachers in Space."^[5] 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. David C. Leestma (born May 6, 1949) is an American astronaut. ... Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (NATO reporting name Fishbed) is a fighter aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan and Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. ...

Armadillo Aerospace, Masten Space Systems, PlanetSpace, Rocketplane Limited, Inc., and XCOR Aerospace have donated flights to the new Teachers in Space project.^[6][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] Armadillo Aerospace is an aerospace startup company based in Mesquite, Texas. ... Masten Space Systems is an aerospace startup company in Santa Clara, California that is developing a line of Vertical Take-Off and Landing(VTOL) spacecraft that will eventually include manned orbital flight. ... PlanetSpace is a privately funded rocket and space travel project founded by London, Ontario based entrepreneurs Geoff Sheering, and Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria. ... Rocketplane Limited, Inc. ... XCOR Aerospace is a private rocket engine and spaceflight development company based in Mojave, California at the Mojave Spaceport. ... Elbert Leander Burt Rutan (born June 17, 1943 in Estacada, Oregon) is an American aerospace engineer noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft. ... Peter H. Diamandis (born 20 May 1961 in Bronx, New York) is considered a key American figure in the development of the personal spaceflight industry, having created many space-related businesses or organizations. ... Colonel Buzz Aldrin, Sc. ... Anousheh Ansari (Persian: , born 12 September 1966) is the Iranian-American co-founder and chairman of Prodea Systems, Inc. ...

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] The Wirefly X PRIZE logo combines a stylized letter X reminiscent of a space trajectory with stark, bold text. ...

Notes

1. ^ *Address to the nation on the Challenger disaster
2. ^ *After 22-year wait, teacher ready to blast off to space station
3. ^ *Writer supports teacher in space program
4. ^ *Teacher In Space Candidate Completes Proficiency Flight
5. ^ *Teachers in Space! Foundation Wants Hundreds to Fly
6. ^ *Space Flight Firms Donate Rides to Teachers – New Teachers in Space Program Gains Momentum
7. ^ *Masten Space Systems Donates Rocket Ride to Teacher – Joins Other Companies Donating Rides to Teachers In Space Program
8. ^ *PlanetSpace Joins Teachers in Space Project – Will Offer Free Rides on its Silver Dart Spacecraft to Top Educators
9. ^ *Private Space Explorer Joins Teachers in Space – Anousheh Ansari to Support Flights on NewSpace Vehicles
10. ^ *Godspeed Barbara Morgan; Plans for Large Numbers of Teachers in Space

External links

• Official Teachers in Space project site
• Civilians in Space
• Address to the nation on the Challenger disaster
• Godspeed Barbara Morgan; Plans for Large Numbers of Teachers in Space
• 'Teachers in Space' will endure
• NASA Assures That Teachers Will Fly in Space
• After 22-year wait, teacher ready to blast off to space station
• Writer supports teacher in space program
• Space Flight Firms Donate Rides to Teachers – New Teachers in Space Program Gains Momentum
• Teachers in Space! Foundation Wants Hundreds to Fly
• Private Space Explorer Joins Teachers in Space – Anousheh Ansari to Support Flights on NewSpace Vehicles
• Masten Space Systems Donates Rocket Ride to Teacher – Joins Other Companies Donating Rides to Teachers In Space Program
• PlanetSpace Joins Teachers in Space Project – Will Offer Free Rides on its Silver Dart Spacecraft to Top Educators
• Teacher In Space Candidate Completes Proficiency Flight
• Barbara Morgan-Astronaut, Teacher in Space, NEA Member