Barbara Morgan, one of the astronauts planned to fly on Space Shuttle Endeavour on August 7, 2007, is strongly linked to the Bay Area. Morgan was born in Fresno, Calif. to Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Radding. She graduated from Hoover High School and went on to Stanford University and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in human biology. After that, Morgan attended the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, Calif. to receive her teaching credential.
In 1974, she moved to Montana and began her teaching. Morgan has been waiting almost two decades to go to space. In fact, she was the backup to Christa McAuliffe, the first Teacher in Space who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger accident. Space Shuttle Endeavour replaced the Challenger six years later. Despite the risks of space flight, Morgan has stayed focused on her dream.
As an Educator Astronaut, she is a fully trained Astronaut. Morgan is thrilled to go into space and use all that she has learned. Im actually excited about going up and doing the work. Weve been training really hard. Theres been so much to learn to be able to do our jobs well. And so, Im really excited about going up and doing our jobs, and doing them well, she said.
Ames Research Center will broadcast the launch at the Exploration Center on August 9, 2007 at 4:54 p.m. Come early to get the best seat!
