The Challenger disaster viewed by the backup teacher

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What makes this video more interesting is that we get a glimpse of the emotion of the moment through Barbara Morgan – an astronaut with true “Right Stuff”. She was a teacher who, after this incident, asked NASA if she could honor Christa by taking the next space shuttle launch. Her request was denied. NASA decided that sending a school teacher into space was not their mission or priority. They told her, the only way you’re getting into outer space is if you become a full-fledged astronaut. So, she studied for it. It took her 12 years before she would qualify. She told NASA, I’m an astronaut so I’d like to honor Christa by fulfilling her original mission. They said no. She waited and remained an astronaut for 10 more years until she finally got to sit in Christa’s exact seat, middle right chair, as a mission specialist on STS-118. Unlike Christa’s flight, there was no special fanfare (she was classified as a mission specialist communications officer). She finished her mission and made it back safely. Having finished Christa’s original mission of a school teacher in space, she promptly resigned from NASA and picked up where she left off.

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