NASA thanks the hundreds of students, teachers, and friends who have sent the Educator Astronaut Program their thoughts and prayers since the Columbia accident.

"The public and courageous teachers are showing us they are undaunted by the risks and impassioned to continue the STS- 107 crew's dream to explore and discover," said Dr. Adena Williams Loston, NASA's Associate Administrator for Education.

The first phone call the Educator Astronaut Program Office received after the accident was from a teacher in Texas who said, "I know what the crew would have us do. I'm going right ahead and applying for the program." On Monday, one teacher in Georgia asked her fifth grade class if they would like to work for NASA. The students almost unanimously responded, "Yes." The one student who said "No" explained, "It is not that the crash of the Columbia scared me, it's just that I have always wanted to be a professional basketball player."

On the day of the accident, more than 100 students, friends and families nominated their personal heroes -- their teachers -- to become Educator Astronauts. Since the accident, the program has received more than 1,000 nominations.

Educators interested in applying for the program or anyone interested in nominating a teacher can find the qualifications on the Internet at: http://edspace.nasa.gov/qualifications/qualif.html

To learn more about the Educator Astronaut Program and other NASA education activities visit: http://edspace.nasa.gov.