NSTA member Barbara R. Morgan believes students learn best by "doing and being actively engaged." Now Morgan, a former Idaho elementary science teacher, has engaged in space exploration as one of five NASA mission specialists aboard space shuttle Endeavour.

Endeavour's mission, designated STS-118, continued assembly of the International Space Station. In addition to leading in-orbit educational activities, Morgan's duties included operating the shuttle's and station's robotic arms during spacewalks and other activities and overseeing the transfer of 5,000 pounds of supplies and equipment between the shuttle and station. She said she is "doing the job of an astronaut with the eyes, ears, heart, and mind of a teacher."

Morgan, 55, waited 22 years to board a shuttle—although she asserts that she spent the time working, not passively waiting. In 1985, she was chosen as the backup candidate for the NASA Teacher in Space Program and trained with Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who perished in the space shuttle Challenger accident. Since then, Morgan has worked with NASA's Education Division on such tasks as public speaking, educational consulting, and curriculum design. In 1998, NASA selected her to become the first Educator Astronaut: a teacher with expertise in K–12 classrooms who trains to become a fully qualified astronaut.

When asked about the risks of spaceflight, Morgan reiterates that it has always been risky because it takes place "in a harsh environment." Looking at it from a teacher's viewpoint, she explains, means showing students that some risks are worth taking because of the value of the end result. She compares this to risks that teachers encourage students to take, such as asking questions and stating their opinions in class.

Space offers "an open-ended land of learning opportunities" for students, observes Morgan, and every aspect of the flight connected with "every discipline and subject" taught in schools. Watching her operate the robotic arm, for example, shows students the "real-world applications" of the science and math they are learning. Morgan said that during the flight she contributed a saliva sample that will be used in an experiment about how viruses start to manifest in the human body. Commander Scott Kelly explained that the data from this experiment may someday help doctors diagnose and treat viruses much earlier. Another experiment involved observing mice for a study of muscle deterioration in microgravity, added Kelly.

Morgan also recorded several video "teachable moments" while in orbit, said Cindy McArthur, who heads NASA's Teaching in Space project at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. But McArthur and Joyce Winterton, associate administrator for NASA's Office of Education, emphasize that the in-orbit education activities are only one component of the mission: Ground-based activities, such as a student competition to design a pennant for the mission, have already occurred, while others will begin after the flight and continue during the school year.

One experiment that began during the mission and will involve teachers and students on the ground is connected with the 10 million basil seeds, lettuce seeds, and two small plant growth chambers that will be part of the shuttle's education payload. Some of the seeds and the growth chambers have remained with Expedition 15 Flight Engineer and station resident Clay Anderson, who will oversee them for about 20 days beginning in September. Anderson will photograph the developing plants and answer students' questions during several "video opportunities."

Morgan and her crewmates returned with the rest of the microgravity-exposed basil seeds, which will be distributed—along with a control set of seeds—to U.S. classrooms, scout groups, museums, science centers, and other venues. Students will then grow the seeds as part of a NASA/International Technology Education Association co-sponsored 2007–2008 Engineering Design Challenge, a Standards-based activity in which K-12 students design and build a plant growth chamber that could be used on the Moon. Morgan will monitor this activity after the flight, said Winterton. (Register and learn more about the Lunar Plant Growth Chamber Challenge here.) Seeds will be available to the first 100,000 registrants, who must be K–12 educators who are residents of the United States or U.S. territories and outlying areas.

NASA also has established a Fit Explorer Challenge that helps students learn about the physical fitness requirements of living and working in space. The project includes Standards-based classroom science activities related to the STS-118 mission and future extended exploration missions.

Winterton said that the STS-118 mission has served as an opportunity to engage many educators in professional development. Teachers participating in one-hour sessions as part of the Humans in Space With STS-118 program, for example, will discover how to engage students and teach science in the context of the mission. Educators can take the training from home or work. Registration is open until October 15. (A longer version of this training, taking place in September, will enable teachers to earn graduate or continuing education credit.)

In addition, Morgan is tentatively scheduled to speak at national education conferences—including NSTA's National Conference on Science Education in Boston in March 2008—and will serve on a NASA task force for disseminating information about the mission.

For educational content related to the mission, visit NASA's space shuttle education website. The website includes scientific information, interactive features, games, classroom challenges, events, lesson plans and activities, and images. Additional information and resources, including a "Barbara Morgan, Educator Astronaut" classroom poster, may be found at this NASA website. A special section contains articles about the ground crew that supports space shuttle missions and about other careers at NASA.

Teachers and students can follow Morgan's activities through the Sally Ride Science™ blog. Designed for grades 4-8, the blog offers a series of science-themed entries to help elementary and middle school teachers illustrate real-world applications of science concepts and spark lively classroom discussions. The first blog installment, “Back to School, Back to Space,” features daily entries about Morgan’s flight to the International Space Station, shares her experiences about being a teacher in space, and provides an up-close look into her daily activities.

For books and journal articles about teaching space science, access NSTA's Science Store web page, and search the site using the keywords "space science." NSTA members may read or download several of the journal articles at no charge.