22 year wait for a dream job

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — Space shuttle Endeavour arrived at its launch pad early Wednesday for a flight to send teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan and six crewmates to the international space station.

It’s been a nearly five-year wait for Endeavour, and the shuttle has nothing on Morgan: She’s been waiting 22 years.

In 1985, Morgan was picked as Christa McAuliffe’s backup to become the first teacher in space under a special NASA program.

Then the shuttle Challenger carrying McAuliffe exploded shortly after liftoff in 1986, and Morgan returned to teaching. In 1998, she was selected as a full-fledged astronaut.

On her first mission, set for August, Morgan will operate the shuttle’s robotic arm, coordinate the transfer of cargo and talk from space to students at three schools, if the mission is extended.

The shuttle crew will also deliver a new truss segment, 5,000 pounds of cargo and fix a gyroscope which helps control the station’s position.

“It has a little bit of everything,” said Matt Abbott, lead shuttle flight director.

~ by Thor on July 12, 2007.