MEDIA AVAILABILITY WITH FIRST EDUCATOR/MISSION SPECIALIST IN HOUSTON, TUESDAY



January 16, 1998



Beth Schmid
Headquarters, Washington, DC
(Phone: 202/358-1760)



John Lawrence
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(Phone: 281/483-5111)

<h4>Release: N98-6</h4> <h4>NOTE TO EDITORS:</h4> <h3>Media 
Availability With First Educator/Mission Specialist in Houston, 
Tuesday</h3> 

NASA has selected Barbara Morgan, an elementary school teacher from 
McCall, ID, to join the next astronaut candidate class as a mission 
specialist, and she has accepted. Morgan will be available for media 
questions at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, on Tuesday, Jan. 
20, at 1 p.m. CST.



In a decision that re-emphasizes the importance of NASA's strong 
commitment to education and its unique position to advance the 
Nation's goals to improve science, mathematics, and technology 
education, the Agency has determined that it is appropriate to 
include educator mission specialists in the astronaut corps.



In addition to meeting the astronaut selection requirements, mission 
specialists with education and teaching backgrounds in science, 
mathematics and technology will be selected and trained in the 
astronaut corps. These mission specialists will carry out educational 
programs in addition to their other assigned flight duties.



The media availability will be broadcast on NASA Television with 
two-way question and answer capability for reporters at participating 
NASA centers.



NASA Television is carried on GE-2, Transponder 9C, 85 degrees West 
longitude, vertical polarization, with a frequency of 3880 Mhz, and 
audio of 6.8 Mhz.

	
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