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Author
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Topic: Teacher in Space program: possible results?
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ASCAN1984
Member Posts: 1049
From: County Down, Nothern Ireland
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 02-17-2011 11:31 AM
   
I was just thinking, what would have been the result of NASA's Teacher in Space program had the STS-51L teacher in space lessons been completed as planned? |
garymilgrom
Member Posts: 1966
From: Atlanta, GA
Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 02-17-2011 01:43 PM
Hopefully a large group of youngsters would have been encouraged to study math, engineering, physics and other subjects common to spaceflight, resulting in new/more graduates in this field. This in turn would help the country, whether in space or other arenas. |
brianjbradley
Member Posts: 114
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 02-17-2011 02:06 PM
I think the Teacher in Project (TISP) mission has by far exceeded what was planned or expected. While Christa McAuliffe didn't complete her lessons, her legacy remains and I would think she is just as much a household name as she was at the time of her selection for flight. Look how many things are in her name sake, or in the name sake of a Challenger crew member or the Challenger itself. There are dozens of Challenger Learning Centers and they educate over 400,000 students per year. That wouldn't have happened if the loss of 51L didn't happen. I think had it gone on ok, a teacher would have become "just another participant" before long. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 02-17-2011 02:27 PM
One result. |
Greggy_D
Member Posts: 977
From: Michigan
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 02-17-2011 03:15 PM
The timelines in your article do not quite match up. Largely forgotten, a media representative would have flown, possibly on a September 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger flight. Navy Cmdr. Michael J. Smith was named to pilot the mission, which would have been his second spaceflight.Slightly more than 1,700 people applied for the Journalist-in-Space program, said Liz Suckow, a NASA archivist. One hundred journalists were selected as regional semifinalists in April 1986. That was cut in May to 40 semifinalists. A final group of five were to be chosen in October 1986. |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 02-17-2011 03:15 PM
Sadly, I suspect the loss of 51L may have actually resulted in a more successful (although unintended) impact from the TISP. Had the 51L mission been completed successfully, it would have been interesting to students and the general public for a short time, but would have quickly become a footnote to the space program. The flight of Barbara Morgan several years later on STS-118 illustrates this. It was interesting at the time, but her role in the mission will likely have very little longterm legacy... other than the symbolic completion of McAuliffe's original mission. (I don't deny, however, that the mission may have inspired some children to pursue math and science careers.)The loss of Challenger, however, permanently cemented the memory of Christa McAuliffe into the public consciousness. Like Brian pointed out, the Challenger Learning Centers were the result of the disaster... and would probably not exist had Challenger successfully completed the 51L mission. Perhaps the greatest comfort that can come from the Challenger disaster is the lasting legacy that exists from the Challenger Learning Centers. In that regard, the sacrifice of the crew (no matter how tragic) has left us with some positive results. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-17-2011 03:35 PM
quote:
Originally posted by mjanovec:
The flight of Barbara Morgan several years later on STS-118 illustrates this.
It should be noted though that NASA went to great extents to stress to the media (and through them, the public) that Morgan was not flying as a teacher-astronaut on STS-118, but rather a full-fledged astronaut who had previously been a teacher. |
brianjbradley
Member Posts: 114
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 02-17-2011 04:01 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
Morgan was not flying as a teacher-astronaut on STS-118, but rather a full-fledged astronaut who had previously been a teacher.
Yes. Good point, Robert. I see TISP as separate from the later Educator Mission Specialists. To me, Barbara Morgan (et al) was an astronaut who was a teacher, just as the commander was an an astronaut who was previously a test pilot, etc. Just as a commander's previous experience qualifies them to fly the shuttle, a mission specialist's previous experience as a teacher qualifies them to deliver the most effective education/PAO from space. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 02-17-2011 04:26 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Greggy_D:
The timelines in your article do not quite match up.
There was supposed to have been a transition which got cut: "After Challenger, work still proceeded on selecting a J-I-S candidate," preceding the "One hundred journalists were selected as regional semifinalists in April 1986." |
ASCAN1984
Member Posts: 1049
From: County Down, Nothern Ireland
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 02-18-2011 05:22 AM
Although they flew as fully fledged astronauts are there any extra events or projects the educator mission specialists did before, during or after their flights that pertained to their teaching background. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-18-2011 06:26 AM
Yes, and no. All four educator-astronauts (Barbara Morgan, Joe Acaba, Ricky Arnold and Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger) all took part in recording educational demonstrations while in space to be used post-flight to create videos for classroom distribution, but that is not an activity unique to them. Astronauts with their teacher backgrounds have and continue to do the same.The four astronauts participated in live downlinks with school and educational groups while on orbit, but again, that is a rather common activity during shuttle and station missions. Likewise, they all visited schools and addressed educator conferences before and after their flight, but that too has been and continues to be done by other astronauts. That is not in any way to suggest that they themselves do not have a strong interest in applying their background to their current work, it is just that NASA has chosen to fly them as they would any other astronaut and not create missions specific to their teaching experience. |
issman1
Member Posts: 1042
From: UK
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 02-18-2011 06:30 AM
I could be mistaken, but the original STS-118 was to have been flown by Columbia in late 2003.It was recently suggested that former CNN space correspondent Miles O'Brien would have flown as a PS on that mission. If it had happened, it would have combined the pre-Challenger era Teacher-in-Space and Journalist-in-Space projects and generated huge publicity for the US space programme. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 02-18-2011 07:07 AM
Yes, STS-118 was to have used Columbia. That's the first I heard of O'Brien flying on that flight; Barbara Morgan (McAuliffe's backup) was named (and did fly) as part of that crew. I'm curious as to the reference for O'Brien being a part of that crew. |
brianjbradley
Member Posts: 114
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 02-18-2011 09:12 AM
quote:
Originally posted by issman1:
It was recently suggested that former CNN space correspondent Miles O'Brien would have flown as a PS on that mission.
I understood that Miles O'Brien was at least in talks with NASA about having a flight. His reporting was pretty incredible and he continues to maintain an excellent relationship with members of the Astronaut Office. I am not sure if he would have flown -118, but it is possible as the original crew only had six people - Kelly, Hobaugh, Parazynski, Nowak, Williams and Morgan. I am sure it made his coverage of the loss of Columbia all the harder as at the same time it would have meant that his flight was down the drain.
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issman1
Member Posts: 1042
From: UK
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 02-18-2011 09:20 AM
My understanding was that had STS-107 returned safely, CNN was going to announce that an agreement had been reached with NASA to fly Mr. O'Brien on a shuttle mission in the latter half of 2003.STS-118 was later identified as that flight. But it wasn't the first time CNN flirted with the idea of sending one its reporters to space. There was serious discussion to send John Holliman to Mir, until his untimely death in September 1998. |
Skylon
Member Posts: 274
From:
Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 02-18-2011 03:04 PM
quote:
Originally posted by issman1:
STS-118 was later identified as that flight.
Yikes. That would have turned STS-118 into a PR circus.That said, I thought STS-118's original crew of six was partially dictated by the plan to use Columbia for the mission. A seventh crew member wasn't selected to save as much weight as possible. I recall reading that Scott Kelly started lobbying for a seventh crew member on the flight after Columbia was lost, and it was sadly certain the flight would use a different orbiter, one that didn't have Columbia's weight constraints. |
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