Aug 27 1984
From The Space Library
Speaking to 262 winners of the Secondary School Recognition Program and their teachers, President Reagan said that he had directed NASA to carry an elementary- or secondary-school teacher in orbit aboard the Space Shuttle as the nation's first space passenger. "When the shuttle lifts off, all of America will be reminded of the crucial role teachers and education play in the life of our nation," Reagan said in the announcement. This would be the first spaceflight of an American who was neither a scientist nor a trained astronaut. The only physical limitations were that the candidate be free of debilitating disease, have good eyesight, and not have hearing loss or high blood pressure. No age limit was specified.
NASA had thought about the possibility of flying private citizens aboard the Space Shuttle more than a decade ago. The idea was a natural outgrowth of its legislative mandate that called for "the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning NASA's activities and the results thereof. .. .
NASA officials told reporters that they would begin a search for the most qualified teacher candidate and described a program in which each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam would submit the names of two teachers. A peer-review panel would help pare the applicants to 10, to 5, and finally to a prime and backup candidate.
"When we decide on our final two candidates, we will give them eight weeks of preflight training at Houston's Johnson Space Center right along with the astronaut crew they fly with," said NASA Administrator James M. Beggs. "When the candidate's flight is over, we will insist that he or she give a year of their time to NASA, visiting schools, talking to workshops, lecturing, and appearing on television and radio," he said.
Beggs said that it was impossible to predict how many civilians would be able to fly on Space Shuttle, noting that it depended on how many Space Shuttle flights NASA could schedule. (NASA Release 84-122; NASA anno Aug 27/84; W Post, Aug 28/84, A-1)
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