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 unfolds, who better than teachers to lead the way?
Unlike NASA's 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; and many teachers will be able to complete the program during school breaks which will eliminate having to take time away from the classroom.
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.
Seated: Lynette Oliver, Chantel Rose, Rachael Manzer, and Maureen Adams |
Pathfinders
Every journey begins with a single step. The Teachers in Space program wants to put a thousand astronaut teachers into American classrooms, within the next decade.
The first step in the Teachers in Space journey has been the selection of a small group of “Pathfinders” who will lead the way for the large numbers of astronaut teachers who follow. These Pathfinders will be the first astronaut teachers to fly in space and return to the classroom.
Throughout the past year, teachers from all across the country applied for the chance to become a Pathfinder astronaut. Teachers in Space evaluated hundreds of applications from highly qualified educators and narrowing the pool was a difficult process. This summer the seven finalists for the first two Pathfinder astronaut flights have been announced at the NewSpace 2009 Conference in July at NASA Ames Research Center.
The 2009 Pathfinders
Blog
The Pathfinder 7 are:
Maureen Louis Adams, 54, of Lampasas, TX. She is an elementary school teacher/principal from Killeen, TX. She established one of the first elementary robotics program in the nation, has been a guest instructor at US Space Camp, and has flown weightless experiments on NASA aircraft twice.
James Kuhl, 53, of Syracuse, NY. He is a 6th grade Earth Science teacher from Syracuse, NY. The third time is the charm for Kuhl, who applied for the original NASA Teacher in Space program in 1985; and applied for the second teacher program, called the Educator Astronaut program. He was a finalist in 2004. He has received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Education and serves on the board of directors of the Science Teachers Association of New York State.
Lanette Oliver, 43, of San Antonio. She is an elementary science specialist for the Judson Independent School District. She grew up on a farm in Washington, Oklahoma. She now teaches predominantly minority students in San Antonio, TX. She has been a Golden Apple Award winner, a Texas Space Grant Scholarship winner, and was one of four teachers selected by the Texas Space Grant Consortium to fly aboard a NASA microgravity flight in January, 2009.
Stephen Heck, 56, of Cincinnati. He is an 8th grade Earth Science teacher in the Milford Exempted Village School District. He is a former department chairman and professor of Aerospace Studies at the University of Cincinnati. A US Air Force veteran, he has over 2,700 flight hours in jet aircraft and holds two world records set in KC-10 aircraft.
Rachael Manzer, 39, of East Hartland, CT. She is a district science coach in the Suffield School District. She teaches and models inquiry-based science lessons for K-12 classrooms. She is a former NASA distance learning educator and was a finalist for the NASA Educator Astronaut selection in 2004. She is president-elect of the Connecticut Science Teachers Association.
Chantelle Rose, 36, of St. Paris, OH. Rose teaches science at Graham High School in St. Paris. She was named the 2006 Ohio Teacher of the Year by the Air Force Association, the 2007 Ohio Earth Science Teacher of the Year by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, and the 2008 Aerospace Teacher of the Year by the Scott Crossfield Foundation. She was a finalist for the NASA Educator Astronaut selection in 2004.
Robert “Mike” Schmidt, 31, of Tucson, AZ. A second-generation teacher, Schmidt teaches math to grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 at University High School, in the Tucson Unified School District. An 8-year education veteran, he found out about Teachers in Space while attending a National Science Teachers Association meeting.
Teachers In Space Blog
Pathfinder competitions will be a recurring event. If you are interested in submitting an application or attending a workshop please check our website for updates and scheduling
information.info@teachersinspace.org