Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Saturday Morning News

Interview With June Scobee Rodgers and Leland Melvin

Aired January 25, 2003 - 09:40   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.


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA MORGAN, EDUCATOR, ASTRONAUT: I'm very proud to be a teacher. I am very happy to be one of many people helping continue the mission of the "Challenger" crew and our teacher in space, Christa McAuliffe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Stirring speech by Barbara Morgan, who, you may recall, was Christa McAuliffe's understudy to fly on the "Challenger" in 1986. Now, after that disaster, she returned to teaching, but she held fast to her dream.

Today she is poised to become the first teacher in space at the end of this year. But she apparently is in the vanguard of an army of educators who will fly in space in the coming years.

This week, NASA rolled out a new Teacher in Space program. It is a more serious and sustained effort than the first go-round.

Joining us to talk about it, June Scobee Rodgers, who is the widow of "Challenger" commander Dick Scobee. Good to have you with us, June.

JUNE SCOBEE RODGERS, WIDOW OF "CHALLENGER" COMMANDER: Hello, hello, I'm glad to be here.

O'BRIEN: And Leland Melvin, an astronaut who is spearheading this effort on behalf of NASA, helping NASA out from the astronaut program. And Leland is the only astronaut who ever played in the NFL. There's a trivia question, answer for you, Detroit Lions. What position did you play, Leland?

LELAND MELVIN, NASA ASTRONAUT: Played wide receiver, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Wide receiver, got injured. And we'll talk more about that, because that leads us to the importance of education.

June Scobee Rodgers, you are -- it's -- we're approaching an anniversary, which is always a hard time, I know, for all the survivors of the "Challenger" crew. Does it help having this announcement this past week, seeing that dream sort of come to life, and that legacy being alive of a teacher in space?

RODGERS: Well, I think for the entire "Challenger" crew and their families it fulfills a dream for all of us. It's exciting.

O'BRIEN: It is exciting. And as we look at the "Challenger" crew, there, of course, Christa McAuliffe, you became very close to during the training process. She said -- I think her quote, and I'm paraphrasing, I touch the future, I teach, or something like that, which is such a -- you know, it's a poignant line.

This effort to bring students into NASA through the educators, do you think it's different this time?

RODGERS: The teachers are trained as astronauts, so it's exciting to -- this is an opportunity to bring so much more prestige to a teacher, that they can actually be trained like the astronauts and fly aboard the space shuttle. It's a tremendous opportunity. And we're excited for Barbara because of all her patience and persistence since 17 years now, since her early training with Christa.

O'BRIEN: She could teach a lesson in persistence.

Leland, let's talk about the differences for folks who are not as familiar. The first go-around, 17, 18 years ago, the training period was a very short period of time. This time, the teachers who are selected -- and we'll talk about the selection process in a minute -- the teachers who are selected will become full-fledged, credentialed astronauts, won't they?

MELVIN: That's right, Miles. This program is an effort to ensure that these educators, and now educators becoming astronauts, are a part of the NASA crew, the NASA team. And one of the things that we're doing is, we're bringing them in, they're going to go through all the same training that we do, flying in the T-38s, the robotics training, space walk training. They will be full-up astronauts just like myself.

And so that difference from the original teaching -- teacher in space program will give us an astronaut that's full-time moving to Houston and will be a full-time civil servant in the corps.

O'BRIEN: And I suppose all throughout that process of flying in those jets and going -- flying in the Vomit Comet, and whatever you want to call it, the KC-135, more technically, all of that offers educational opportunities, doesn't it?

MELVIN: That's right. I mean, my parents were both educators. They inspired me to do wonderful things like taking piano lessons. I took -- played football, did all these things, and they were the inspiration for me.

Educators in this country will now be able to become astronauts. The students that they teach now will see them in another role. The universe is going to be the classroom. And as they develop technologies in modules while they're in the astronaut corps, learning robotics training, space walking, they can take this experience and then transmit it down to their kids, not only their classroom, but thousands of kids through distance learning and other programs that we're planning to do with this program. O'BRIEN: Now, June, this is a subject so near and dear to your heart, although -- because you have a background in education, Ph.D., as a matter of fact, in education, and are a founding member of the Challenger Centers, which is an interactive learning center where children go and role-play missions. And that's a big part of this whole thing. The Challenger Center is partnering on this. How will that -- how will the Challenger Center be a part of all of this?

RODGERS: Well, we're partnering certainly with NASA. But I would like to say that teachers can bring their students and fly a simulated space mission at a Challenger Learning Center today, and they can sign up to fly with NASA on a space shuttle tomorrow.

O'BRIEN: That's a great (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Of course, we got a Challenger Center opening up here in Atlanta, now, I'm told, this week, as a matter of fact.

I'm told, Leland, that there has already been, as we look at some of these Challenger Centers and how these kids get engaged with a mock mission control and a mock space station, running through problems, Leland, when you see kids involved in this, they quickly forget that they're learning anything. And I guess that's the key, isn't it?

MELVIN: That's the key. It's so important for it just to be second nature for them. It -- you know, math and science, there, they can be tough subjects to study. But if we make this fun and engaging, it's going to be something they transmit and learn and become part of their daily life.

We have a shortage of scientists and engineers in the country right now. And it's so important that we engage our youth, especially the middle school students, to become scientists and engineers, and eventually astronauts.

O'BRIEN: All right. The Web page for you to nominate a teacher -- and we invite you to nominate the teachers you like, not the ones you don't like, because it is a two-way trip. You can go to edspace.nasa.gov, and it'll walk you through the whole process. You can nominate a -- your teacher. Teachers can nominate themselves or other teachers.

June, we wish you and family members well as you approach this anniversary. This has got to be an exciting time. It's a bittersweet time, in a way, isn't it?

RODGERS: Yes, it is. But in the families, we don't go to a gravesite, we go to a Challenger Learning Center and watch the youngsters fly a mission, because it reminds of what our loved ones were living for and what their dreams were.

So we are excited for Barbara Morgan flying in space. And for any teacher who's too timid to fly in space, come fly with us at a Challenger Learning Center, 150 around the country. And you can find where one -- the closest center is on the edspace.nasa.gov Web site...

O'BRIEN: Great. RODGERS: ... or challenger.org, and find -- check us out.

O'BRIEN: The legacy lives on.

All right, June Scobee Rodgers, Leland Melvin, thank you very much for both being with us and telling us about an exciting program for NASA and for students all around the nation.

RODGERS: Thanks, Leland.

MELVIN: Thank you, Miles.

RODGERS: Bye-bye.

MELVIN: Thank you, June.

O'BRIEN: 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 January 25, 2003 - 09:40   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA MORGAN, EDUCATOR, ASTRONAUT: I'm very proud to be a teacher. I am very happy to be one of many people helping continue the mission of the "Challenger" crew and our teacher in space, Christa McAuliffe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Stirring speech by Barbara Morgan, who, you may recall, was Christa McAuliffe's understudy to fly on the "Challenger" in 1986. Now, after that disaster, she returned to teaching, but she held fast to her dream.

Today she is poised to become the first teacher in space at the end of this year. But she apparently is in the vanguard of an army of educators who will fly in space in the coming years.

This week, NASA rolled out a new Teacher in Space program. It is a more serious and sustained effort than the first go-round.

Joining us to talk about it, June Scobee Rodgers, who is the widow of "Challenger" commander Dick Scobee. Good to have you with us, June.

JUNE SCOBEE RODGERS, WIDOW OF "CHALLENGER" COMMANDER: Hello, hello, I'm glad to be here.

O'BRIEN: And Leland Melvin, an astronaut who is spearheading this effort on behalf of NASA, helping NASA out from the astronaut program. And Leland is the only astronaut who ever played in the NFL. There's a trivia question, answer for you, Detroit Lions. What position did you play, Leland?

LELAND MELVIN, NASA ASTRONAUT: Played wide receiver, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Wide receiver, got injured. And we'll talk more about that, because that leads us to the importance of education.

June Scobee Rodgers, you are -- it's -- we're approaching an anniversary, which is always a hard time, I know, for all the survivors of the "Challenger" crew. Does it help having this announcement this past week, seeing that dream sort of come to life, and that legacy being alive of a teacher in space?

RODGERS: Well, I think for the entire "Challenger" crew and their families it fulfills a dream for all of us. It's exciting.

O'BRIEN: It is exciting. And as we look at the "Challenger" crew, there, of course, Christa McAuliffe, you became very close to during the training process. She said -- I think her quote, and I'm paraphrasing, I touch the future, I teach, or something like that, which is such a -- you know, it's a poignant line.

This effort to bring students into NASA through the educators, do you think it's different this time?

RODGERS: The teachers are trained as astronauts, so it's exciting to -- this is an opportunity to bring so much more prestige to a teacher, that they can actually be trained like the astronauts and fly aboard the space shuttle. It's a tremendous opportunity. And we're excited for Barbara because of all her patience and persistence since 17 years now, since her early training with Christa.

O'BRIEN: She could teach a lesson in persistence.

Leland, let's talk about the differences for folks who are not as familiar. The first go-around, 17, 18 years ago, the training period was a very short period of time. This time, the teachers who are selected -- and we'll talk about the selection process in a minute -- the teachers who are selected will become full-fledged, credentialed astronauts, won't they?

MELVIN: That's right, Miles. This program is an effort to ensure that these educators, and now educators becoming astronauts, are a part of the NASA crew, the NASA team. And one of the things that we're doing is, we're bringing them in, they're going to go through all the same training that we do, flying in the T-38s, the robotics training, space walk training. They will be full-up astronauts just like myself.

And so that difference from the original teaching -- teacher in space program will give us an astronaut that's full-time moving to Houston and will be a full-time civil servant in the corps.

O'BRIEN: And I suppose all throughout that process of flying in those jets and going -- flying in the Vomit Comet, and whatever you want to call it, the KC-135, more technically, all of that offers educational opportunities, doesn't it?

MELVIN: That's right. I mean, my parents were both educators. They inspired me to do wonderful things like taking piano lessons. I took -- played football, did all these things, and they were the inspiration for me.

Educators in this country will now be able to become astronauts. The students that they teach now will see them in another role. The universe is going to be the classroom. And as they develop technologies in modules while they're in the astronaut corps, learning robotics training, space walking, they can take this experience and then transmit it down to their kids, not only their classroom, but thousands of kids through distance learning and other programs that we're planning to do with this program. O'BRIEN: Now, June, this is a subject so near and dear to your heart, although -- because you have a background in education, Ph.D., as a matter of fact, in education, and are a founding member of the Challenger Centers, which is an interactive learning center where children go and role-play missions. And that's a big part of this whole thing. The Challenger Center is partnering on this. How will that -- how will the Challenger Center be a part of all of this?

RODGERS: Well, we're partnering certainly with NASA. But I would like to say that teachers can bring their students and fly a simulated space mission at a Challenger Learning Center today, and they can sign up to fly with NASA on a space shuttle tomorrow.

O'BRIEN: That's a great (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Of course, we got a Challenger Center opening up here in Atlanta, now, I'm told, this week, as a matter of fact.

I'm told, Leland, that there has already been, as we look at some of these Challenger Centers and how these kids get engaged with a mock mission control and a mock space station, running through problems, Leland, when you see kids involved in this, they quickly forget that they're learning anything. And I guess that's the key, isn't it?

MELVIN: That's the key. It's so important for it just to be second nature for them. It -- you know, math and science, there, they can be tough subjects to study. But if we make this fun and engaging, it's going to be something they transmit and learn and become part of their daily life.

We have a shortage of scientists and engineers in the country right now. And it's so important that we engage our youth, especially the middle school students, to become scientists and engineers, and eventually astronauts.

O'BRIEN: All right. The Web page for you to nominate a teacher -- and we invite you to nominate the teachers you like, not the ones you don't like, because it is a two-way trip. You can go to edspace.nasa.gov, and it'll walk you through the whole process. You can nominate a -- your teacher. Teachers can nominate themselves or other teachers.

June, we wish you and family members well as you approach this anniversary. This has got to be an exciting time. It's a bittersweet time, in a way, isn't it?

RODGERS: Yes, it is. But in the families, we don't go to a gravesite, we go to a Challenger Learning Center and watch the youngsters fly a mission, because it reminds of what our loved ones were living for and what their dreams were.

So we are excited for Barbara Morgan flying in space. And for any teacher who's too timid to fly in space, come fly with us at a Challenger Learning Center, 150 around the country. And you can find where one -- the closest center is on the edspace.nasa.gov Web site...

O'BRIEN: Great. RODGERS: ... or challenger.org, and find -- check us out.

O'BRIEN: The legacy lives on.

All right, June Scobee Rodgers, Leland Melvin, thank you very much for both being with us and telling us about an exciting program for NASA and for students all around the nation.

RODGERS: Thanks, Leland.

MELVIN: Thank you, Miles.

RODGERS: Bye-bye.

MELVIN: Thank you, June.

O'BRIEN: 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