Real Stars

I watched a documentary on Barbara Morgan, the NASA astronaut who started as a member of the Teachers in Space program back in 1985. She was, in face, chosen as the backup for Christa McAuliffe and trained alongside the Challenger crew. I know how devasted I was by the disaster, so I cannot even imagine how difficult it must have been for her. Still, she wanted to continue with the program.

For a time, she thought it would be just a few years before they made another attempt to send a teacher into space. Instead, it was twenty-one years. And she didn't go just as a teacher, but as a full-fledged astronaut. In 1998 she was chosen as a full-time astronaut. She had to go through the same two years of astronaut training as everyone else. In 2003, she was chosen for an upcoming launch, but it was delayed after the re-entry distruction of the Columbia.

When she left on the Endeavor in August 2007, she did so as a mission specialist with important duties related to delivering supplies to the International Space Station. She had also become an amateur radio operator and was able to do 20-minutes question and answer sessions with students. Though she was technically a standard mission specialist who had been a teacher, she was still able to touch and inspire school children.


She also inspires me. How many people stick to a dream for twenty-odd years? What does this have to do with reality tv? Not a lot, but when I consider all the fascinating people out there, I have to wonder why it is that we choose to focus on the America idols and celebrity dancers instead of the heroes of our time. The answer is simple, though. The heroes didn't do it to get into the spotlight. Fame was just a by-product.