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This article just really annoys me. I think the idea of a kids competition to make a pennant is great and so's the prize (seeds that have been in space and a space day for their school with a speaker from NASA). What's annoying is the bit quoted below is the bit being repeated in other blogs and suchlike.
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-031507a.html
"In partnership with Mad Science and AOL's Kids Service KOL, NASA is hosting a contest for 6 to 12 year olds to create pennants that celebrate either of two themes: the upcoming STS-118 shuttle mission including the flight of the first educator astronaut Barbara Morgan or the Vision for Space Exploration, NASA's plans to send humans to the Moon, Mars and beyond."
It feels to me like they're totally dismissing the flight and crew of the STS 51-L Challenger. Commander Francis R. Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialists Judith A. Resnik, Ellison S. Onizuka, Ronald E. McNair and Payload Specialists Gregory B. Jarvis and Sharon Christa McAuliffe. To me Educator Astronaut = Teacher in Space and in my mind Christa McAuliffe will always be the first teacher in space. It wasn't her fault they didn't make it to orbit.
The real shame is that it's taken them 21 years to put another teacher in a shuttle. At least Morgan was the original backup to McAuliffe. I'm glad she's finally getting her chance to fly and I really do wish the crew of STS-118 the best of flights and a successful mission. It's their press officer I want words with...
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-031507a.html
"In partnership with Mad Science and AOL's Kids Service KOL, NASA is hosting a contest for 6 to 12 year olds to create pennants that celebrate either of two themes: the upcoming STS-118 shuttle mission including the flight of the first educator astronaut Barbara Morgan or the Vision for Space Exploration, NASA's plans to send humans to the Moon, Mars and beyond."
It feels to me like they're totally dismissing the flight and crew of the STS 51-L Challenger. Commander Francis R. Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialists Judith A. Resnik, Ellison S. Onizuka, Ronald E. McNair and Payload Specialists Gregory B. Jarvis and Sharon Christa McAuliffe. To me Educator Astronaut = Teacher in Space and in my mind Christa McAuliffe will always be the first teacher in space. It wasn't her fault they didn't make it to orbit.
The real shame is that it's taken them 21 years to put another teacher in a shuttle. At least Morgan was the original backup to McAuliffe. I'm glad she's finally getting her chance to fly and I really do wish the crew of STS-118 the best of flights and a successful mission. It's their press officer I want words with...
