Recently, I
happened to catch the documentary Barbara Morgan:
No Limits
on PBS and have since been inspired by her story. Barbara Morgan applied
for the Teacher in Space Project and was selected as backup astronaut to
Christa McAuliffe, the female teacher chosen for the Challenger Mission in
1986. As McAuliffe prepared for flight with the Challenger crew, Morgan trained right
alongside her, as if the mission was her own. Tragically, Morgan watched her fellow
teacher perish in the Challenger disaster. As a result of McAuliffe's passing, Morgan
honorably fulfilled her role of backup astronaut by speaking for the Teacher in Space
program through media interviews.
No Limits showed footage of Morgan, in interview after interview, remaining humble
and strong while publically answering questions about the Challenger disaster. That
same year, Morgan returned to her job teaching elementary children in Idaho. Twelve
years pass by, Morgan decided to join NASA as a full-time astronaut and finish what
she started in 1986... And
"get some stardust" on her, as she firmly stated in her original
application interview for the
Teacher in Space program, 1986.
At the age of 55, twenty-one years after her first interview with NASA, Morgan's
dream came true: NASA named her to the STS-118 crew. In August of 2007 Morgan
was lifted into space, embodying the legacy of the Challenger crew and teachers
around the world. Morgan has since retired from NASA and is currently teaching at
Boise State University.
As I watched this documentary, and went through an entire box of tissues,
I was overcome with hope. Towards the end of No Limits, Morgan said
something that has been the driving force for this Green issue of Las Vegas
Woman:
"When you look at the Earth's atmosphere from above, it is really thin.
It's barely covering the Earth and when you see that, you do know that it is
something very precious that we need to take very good care of."
Thank you, Barbara Morgan, for being a courageous woman; a
highly regarded astronaut; and a devoted teacher. This issue of
Las Vegas Woman is dedicated to you.

Embrace life, community and yourself,
Tammy Shaw
Tammy Shaw, Publisher/CEO - Las Vegas Woman