|
 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - The shuttle Endeavour arrived at its launch pad early Wednesday for a flight that will finally carry teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan into space. The mission, scheduled to begin Aug. 7, will take Morgan and six crewmates to the international space station.
It's been a nearly five-year wait for Endeavour, but the shuttle has nothing on Morgan: She's been waiting 22 years to reach orbit.
In 1985, Morgan was picked as Christa McAuliffe's backup to become the first teacher in space under a special NASA program. Then the Challenger carrying McAuliffe broke apart shortly after liftoff in 1986, and Morgan returned to teaching. In 1998, she was selected as a full-fledged astronaut.
|