Educator astronaut inspires kids of all ages to dream

There is nothing more important than children and their future.

It is why former Idaho teacher Barbara Morgan became an educator — and why she joined NASA's astronaut corps. Morgan, who once was Christa McAuliffe's understudy for the ill-fated space shuttle Challenger mission, is now a full-fledged member of NASA and will be heading into space soon.

As an "educator astronaut," Morgan delights in talking with students, sharing her love for learning, encouraging them to pursue their dreams and letting them know that nothing is impossible.

Letting them know by example, and by leadership, that dreams are never out of reach and are always worth chasing.

Morgan was always interested in space, but thought the field was closed to women. She went into education so she could share her other loves — science and math.

In 1985, Morgan and McAuliffe were chosen for the teacher-in-space program. After the Challenge tragedy, Morgan returned to teaching, but was accepted in NASA's astronaut corps in 1998.

Morgan and five crew mates will blast into space in June on an 11-day mission to continue assembly of the international space station. NASA's education division also hopes the former teacher will have time to do some teaching activities from space.

Joining the crew on their journey will be some basil seeds, which will make their way to students involved in building creative plant growth chambers.

"There's a little bit of a metaphor," said Morgan in a recent interview with reporters. "It's really planting the seed to get them going. It's getting something physical in their hands that they can go and do what we do: explore, experiment and discover."

Indeed, Morgan's thirst for knowledge, to explore and discover can serve as inspiration for us all.

Caroline Lobsinger is the managing editor of the Daily Bee.