The Vision

Since the beginning of the Space Age, 50 years ago, students have been told that if they studied math and science, they could grow up to become astronauts and go into space.

Unfortunately, that was a false promise. Even at the height of the Shuttle program, a student had a better chance of becoming an NBA basketball player than a NASA astronaut. No wonder today's students show more interest in athletics than math and science.

What if we could turn that around and show students that they have a real chance for a future in space?

Imagine thousands of astronaut teachers, in schools all across the country, sharing their spaceflight knowledge and experiences with millions of students. This vision could become a reality within the next ten years.

Private companies are now developing a new generation of reusable space vehicles, which will dramatically improve safety and reduce the cost of human spaceflight. In the next few years, these vehicles will allow many thousands of people to fly in space.

The Teachers in Space program is working with many of these new spaceflight companies to make sure that teachers are among those who have a chance to go. As a new age of opportunity opens up, who better than teachers to lead the way?

Unlike the Educator Astronaut program, which takes teachers out of the classroom to join the NASA astronaut corps, Teachers in space will allow teachers to “keep their day jobs.” Training will take only a few weeks; many teachers will be able to complete the program during school breaks and not have to take any time off.

The selection process for the “pathfinders” will soon begin. When the first vehicles enter commercial service a few years from now, we will have teachers who are trained and ready to go.

Pathfinders of the New Frontier

Every journey begins with a single step. The Teachers in Space program will begin with the selection of a small group of “pathfinder” teachers. These pathfinders will help us to test our concepts for selecting and training teachers. As the first Teachers in Space, they will blaze the trail for the large number of teachers who will follow.

The process of selecting the first pathfinder will begin this fall. We are currently refining details of the selection process, which will be announced at a special event taking place at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico on October 26.

In the 1960's, Holloman AFB was home to much of the aerospace medical research that made early spaceflight possible. Holloman is where Air Force physician Col. John Paul Stapp conducted many of his famous (and dangerous) rocket sled tests, which not only proved the ability of astronauts and aviators to withstand high gee forces but also led to the introduction of seat belts and other advances in automotive safety.  

Today, Holloman is home to the Wirefly X-Prize Cup and Holloman Air and Space Expo: the first public event to combine a major military airshow with a public spaceflight exposition. Along with performances by F-22 Raptors and US Air Force Thunderbirds, visitors will see exciting rocket flights as part of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Competition.

Against this background of pioneering, we will announce the start of a new pioneer program. Just as teachers helped lead the way in the opening of the American West, so too will they lead the way in the opening of the space frontier.

We hope you can see us in New Mexico, but if you can't, watch this website for further details and application procedures after October 26.