NASA sources tell SPACE.com that Barbara Morgan, an Idaho elementary school teacher and Christa McAuliffe's backup to fly aboard the Challenger mission in 1986, will be onboard a shuttle mission to the International Space Station, but she has not been assigned to a specific mission and it would not be until after the outpost's "core complete" stage in 2004 or later.
In a speech today at Syracuse University in New York, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe is expected to comment on Morgan's participation in the Teacher-in-Space program and the astronaut office and that she will eventually fly as a crewmember to the International Space Station.
Moreover, O'Keefe is expected to announce that the space agency, underscoring its commitment to education, will hire additional mission specialist astronauts with strong education backgrounds.
Contrary to other news media reports, the sources say Morgan has not been assigned to a specific flight and that her status in the astronaut office at the Johnson Space Center has not changed.
Morgan's became a NASA mission specialist astronaut in 1998. Her employment was announced at the same time that former NASA Administrator Dan Goldin approved flying Ohio Senator John Glenn on a second spaceflight, which he made in late 1998.
Morgan was not available for comment because she is presently working on console in Mission Control supporting the current shuttle Atlantis mission to the space station.
In 1986 the 25th space shuttle launch received widespread attention because of the presence of Sharon Christa McAuliffe, who was to have been the first teacher in space. The New Hampshire high school teacher was chosen from a field of more than 11,000 applicants for the space educator position. She was to have given lectures from orbit to students across the country.
About one minute, 13 seconds after launch, as students across the country watched on through live television feeds, the shuttle tragically exploded, killing all seven crew members. In addition to McAuliffe were commander Dick Scobee, pilot Mike Smith, mission specialists Ellison Onizuka, Judy Resnik and Ron McNair, as well as payload specialist Greg Jarvis, an employee of Hughes Aircraft Systems.
Morgan, 50, a married mother of two sons graduated with honors from Stanford University in 1974. NASA selected her as the backup candidate for the Teacher-in-Space program on July 19, 1985.
The program was suspended after the Challenger explosion on January 28, 1986.
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