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American Morning

Ticket to Ride for Educator-Teacher Barbara Morgan

Aired December 12, 2002 - 07:49   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: NASA's plan to send a teacher into space now a go for liftoff, and this morning, the space agency set to announce that educator-astronaut Barbara Morgan out of Idaho is set to fly on a shuttle mission next fall. Seventeen years ago, Morgan trained side by side with teacher Christa McAuliffe. Barbara was Christa's backup for that Challenger mission.
Barbara Morgan is our guest this morning live in Washington, along with NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe.

Good morning to both of you. It's a good time for the NASA folks, isn't it? Good morning.

SEAN O'KEEFE, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: You bet you.

BARBARA MORGAN, ASTRONAUT: Good morning.

HEMMER: Hey, Barbara, what's the date going to be?

O'KEEFE: November 13, 2003.

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: November 13, I like this, the day before my birthday. We'll have a big party. Hey, Barbara...

MORGAN: We'll light a big candle.

HEMMER: Yes, that's very -- a really big candle. Take me back to 1986. Take me back to that day when you were in Florida. What sticks out in your mind the most from that moment?

MORGAN: Well, what sticks out in my mind, I will always remember the crew as they were walking out to launch in the vehicle. They were really excited about what they were doing, and I will always remember that.

HEMMER: How often do you think about that day?

MORGAN: You know, it's not that day. I think about all of the things that I learned from all of the Challenger crewmembers and especially from, of course, my colleague and my mentor, Christa McAuliffe, who was, is and always will be our first teacher in space. And those lessons that I learned from them are lessons that I used in my classroom to help me be a better teacher, and as I've gone through the training the last several years to help me be a better astronaut.

HEMMER: That's really neat. I don't mean to dwell on that day in January of '86, but almost 17 years later, do you have reservations?

MORGAN: Absolutely not.

HEMMER: That was a definitive no, Bill. As an education astronaut then, a couple of things here, what do you hope to get out of this? What do you hope again to relay to school kids across the country? And what's your role going to be once you're up in space?

MORGAN: Well, we are going to be going up to the International Space Station, and we're going to take one of the truss segments and attach it -- it's called the S-5 -- on the starboard side. And we'll be attaching it to the station, using both robotic arms. It's going to be very busy and quite a choreography to get that done...

HEMMER: Yes.

MORGAN: ... along with three EVAs (ph) to work on all of this.

And I'm really delighted, because I'll be directly involved in the EVAs (ph) and helping run them from inside as what we call the IV, or the intervehicular crewmember who helps work with the two EVA (ph) guys when they are outside doing their job. And I'm really looking forward to that and all of the other many things that we're going to be doing on that mission.

And I think most of all, in addition to that, I'm really looking forward to learning all that I can to be able to bring back to students and teachers.

HEMMER: Well, listen, you talk the talk, that's for certain. I can tell you've been in training. Physically, how do you feel?

MORGAN: I feel great.

HEMMER: Yes? Can you gauge yet what you think the most challenging aspect might be on the physical side?

MORGAN: You know, it's really -- I don't think -- well, it is physically challenging, but more than that, it's mentally challenging. There is so much to learn, and we've been working -- my classmates and I have been working four years now to learn the basics and the advanced parts of both the International Space Station systems and the shuttle systems. And there is a ton to learn. You can't learn it all in one lifetime.

HEMMER: Yes, that's exactly right.

MORGAN: So, I think that's the biggest challenge.

HEMMER: Quickly, Sean, what does NASA want to get out of this?

O'KEEFE: I think it's an opportunity to demonstrate how education is such an important feature that we can bring into the classroom, this experience, and I think no finer a representative than a teacher who understands exactly how to relate to students. And if you've never seen Barbara in a classroom, you're in for a real treat.

HEMMER: Oh, great.

O'KEEFE: She understands exactly how to do it.

HEMMER: Well, listen, come on back, OK, as we get closer. And certainly the big day, November 13, 2003, I bet that is highlighted on your calendar, isn't it, Barbara?

MORGAN: Absolutely.

HEMMER: In a big way, big letters. Sean O'Keefe from NASA, Barbara Morgan, headed for space. Thanks, OK? Good luck down the road.

MORGAN: Thank you.

O'KEEFE: All right.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.







Aired December 12, 2002 - 07:49   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: NASA's plan to send a teacher into space now a go for liftoff, and this morning, the space agency set to announce that educator-astronaut Barbara Morgan out of Idaho is set to fly on a shuttle mission next fall. Seventeen years ago, Morgan trained side by side with teacher Christa McAuliffe. Barbara was Christa's backup for that Challenger mission.
Barbara Morgan is our guest this morning live in Washington, along with NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe.

Good morning to both of you. It's a good time for the NASA folks, isn't it? Good morning.

SEAN O'KEEFE, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: You bet you.

BARBARA MORGAN, ASTRONAUT: Good morning.

HEMMER: Hey, Barbara, what's the date going to be?

O'KEEFE: November 13, 2003.

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: November 13, I like this, the day before my birthday. We'll have a big party. Hey, Barbara...

MORGAN: We'll light a big candle.

HEMMER: Yes, that's very -- a really big candle. Take me back to 1986. Take me back to that day when you were in Florida. What sticks out in your mind the most from that moment?

MORGAN: Well, what sticks out in my mind, I will always remember the crew as they were walking out to launch in the vehicle. They were really excited about what they were doing, and I will always remember that.

HEMMER: How often do you think about that day?

MORGAN: You know, it's not that day. I think about all of the things that I learned from all of the Challenger crewmembers and especially from, of course, my colleague and my mentor, Christa McAuliffe, who was, is and always will be our first teacher in space. And those lessons that I learned from them are lessons that I used in my classroom to help me be a better teacher, and as I've gone through the training the last several years to help me be a better astronaut.

HEMMER: That's really neat. I don't mean to dwell on that day in January of '86, but almost 17 years later, do you have reservations?

MORGAN: Absolutely not.

HEMMER: That was a definitive no, Bill. As an education astronaut then, a couple of things here, what do you hope to get out of this? What do you hope again to relay to school kids across the country? And what's your role going to be once you're up in space?

MORGAN: Well, we are going to be going up to the International Space Station, and we're going to take one of the truss segments and attach it -- it's called the S-5 -- on the starboard side. And we'll be attaching it to the station, using both robotic arms. It's going to be very busy and quite a choreography to get that done...

HEMMER: Yes.

MORGAN: ... along with three EVAs (ph) to work on all of this.

And I'm really delighted, because I'll be directly involved in the EVAs (ph) and helping run them from inside as what we call the IV, or the intervehicular crewmember who helps work with the two EVA (ph) guys when they are outside doing their job. And I'm really looking forward to that and all of the other many things that we're going to be doing on that mission.

And I think most of all, in addition to that, I'm really looking forward to learning all that I can to be able to bring back to students and teachers.

HEMMER: Well, listen, you talk the talk, that's for certain. I can tell you've been in training. Physically, how do you feel?

MORGAN: I feel great.

HEMMER: Yes? Can you gauge yet what you think the most challenging aspect might be on the physical side?

MORGAN: You know, it's really -- I don't think -- well, it is physically challenging, but more than that, it's mentally challenging. There is so much to learn, and we've been working -- my classmates and I have been working four years now to learn the basics and the advanced parts of both the International Space Station systems and the shuttle systems. And there is a ton to learn. You can't learn it all in one lifetime.

HEMMER: Yes, that's exactly right.

MORGAN: So, I think that's the biggest challenge.

HEMMER: Quickly, Sean, what does NASA want to get out of this?

O'KEEFE: I think it's an opportunity to demonstrate how education is such an important feature that we can bring into the classroom, this experience, and I think no finer a representative than a teacher who understands exactly how to relate to students. And if you've never seen Barbara in a classroom, you're in for a real treat.

HEMMER: Oh, great.

O'KEEFE: She understands exactly how to do it.

HEMMER: Well, listen, come on back, OK, as we get closer. And certainly the big day, November 13, 2003, I bet that is highlighted on your calendar, isn't it, Barbara?

MORGAN: Absolutely.

HEMMER: In a big way, big letters. Sean O'Keefe from NASA, Barbara Morgan, headed for space. Thanks, OK? Good luck down the road.

MORGAN: Thank you.

O'KEEFE: All right.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.