Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Sunday

Interview With June Scobee Rodgers

Aired April 21, 2002 - 18:23   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Here is a lesson in patience. Seventeen years ago, Barbara Morgan was one of the handful of teachers selected by NASA for the Teachers in Space Program. Morgan was scheduled to follow another teacher, Christa McAuliffe into space, but when McAuliffe and the rest of the Challenger crew died in 1986, NASA put the Teachers in Space Program on hold until now.

Well right now, NASA and Barbara Morgan say they are ready to try again. Joining me to talk more about this is June Scobee Rodgers, wife of the late Dick Scobee who was the Challenger's commander. Thank you, June, for joining us.

JUNE SCOBEE RODGERS, WIFE OF CHALLENGER COMMANDER: It's great to be here. Thank you, Carol.

LIN: Good to see you. What do you think about Barbara's trip up? What do you think it's going to be like?

RODGERS: I think we're all over the moon and excitement for her.

LIN: Yes, why do you think it took so long to send another teacher up?

RODGERS: Well, I think it was the right time. In that amount of time, there's been a lot of preparations and organizations around the country who are working to help Barbara with her lessons that she teaches from space.

LIN: Have you had a chance to talk to her yourself?

RODGERS: I have and Clay, her husband, and they are tremendously excited. They've been waiting a long time for this mission.

LIN: You bet. What did you tell her, if you could share that conversation with me?

RODGERS: Congratulations and I wish they could send you a little sooner. I guess it will be a couple of months. I said, why do they have to wait so long?

LIN: Yes.

RODGERS: But we understand, she has a mission and she's working with her crew members, and she's been preparing lessons here on earth for a long time and now she's going to prepare lessons to send to the youngster waiting around the world from space.

LIN: June, I know it's been a long time, 16 years since your husband died in that tragic accident. But I'm wondering as you were talking with Barbara Morgan, it had to bring back some feelings about that day and I don't know, I tend to be a little superstitious frankly. I don't know about you. But I'm just wondering how you felt in having that conversation and that day coming when you're going to see that shuttle launch with Barbara Morgan on board.

RODGERS: She's waited to go. She was the backup and prepared to fly in space when it was announced that Christa was flying. So she's been all set all these years. As we talked, you know we always have fond memories of the Challenger crew and Dick Scobee, Christa McAuliffe. I mean children and teachers around the world were waiting for those lessons, but every individual knows about their mission in life, I think, and their willingness to take a risk for something that's really important to them, and Barbara tells me she's ready.

LIN: Yes.

RODGERS: She's ready for her mission.

LIN: Yes. Now what is she going to get a chance to do on board? You're saying teaching is part of this process too, right?

RODGERS: Yes. Well, yes. You know, it's going to be a challenge for Barbara. She is going to have to balance being an astronaut, being a mission specialist and working with a team of other astronauts on their space mission and doing the jobs that are assigned to her like all astronauts.

LIN: Does she know what she's doing?

RODGERS: No, I'm not sure yet. And she hasn't been assigned.

LIN: No, does she know what she's doing? I mean you said that she's ready. She's specifically been trained?

RODGERS: Oh yes, she's been trained as all the astronauts have that came in the same class. So she's been trained as an astronaut mission specialist for duties aboard a space station and flying the space shuttle. But then, she's representing every teacher in the nation, so she has this other job too that's going to be outstanding and a lot of fun for us all to be watching.

LIN: Yes. What do you make of now these civilians going into space and buying a ticket up there? I mean $20 million and now I heard that one of the singers from 'NSYNC wants to go too. Does that devalue the experience?

RODGERS: I think that in the future everybody is going to want to buy the tickets to fly in space. In fact, if you're seen "Space Station," you almost feel like you've been there, the new IMAX movie. It is so fantastic and it's going to excite all of us who want to fly. And for the people who have the wealth, I understand buying that ticket. But for folks like Barbara Morgan, who represents the average teacher wanting to fly and teach lessons to youngsters and encourage teachers to want to go into the field of science, and students to study the hard subjects, I think I'm very proud of Barbara representing our nation.

LIN: So even if a rock star goes up there, it's OK, a shared experience. All right. I imagine some day you might want to go?

RODGERS: When they need a grandmother, I'll climb aboard for sure.

LIN: Well, John Glenn will be there to advise you as a grandfather who made it up there. So what are you doing with your time these days?

RODGERS: I am the founding chairman of the Challenger Centers and we -- I just spoke last night at a Challenger Center in Woodstock. We have nearly 50 of these learning centers, and you know it's exciting to see the youngsters and a classroom teacher come to a Challenger Learning Center on their school bus and climb aboard and launch into space, and then we open a window to the universe and let them peak through and see themselves as astronauts and mission controllers on their own mission in space.

So that's tremendously exciting to be a part of the Challenger Center. We have a great board of directors and we work with teaching lessons all across the country in developing materials. A new adventure and excitement for our youngsters, and we hope that we can help Barbara with some of those lessons.

LIN: I think you already have. All right, Barbara Morgan's a lucky woman and when she does go up, I'll be looking forward to talking to you again about that mission.

RODGERS: Thank you so much, Carol.

LIN: June Scobee Rodgers, it's wonderful to see that your husband's spirit lives on in you.

RODGERS: Yes.

LIN: Thanks so much for joining us.

RODGERS: Thank you.

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