New teacher astronaut competition announced

Teachers in Space announced the start of a new astronaut-teacher competition at a Capitol Hill press conference on July 12. The nonprofit Teachers in Space program is working with U.S. companies that are developing reusable suborbital spacecraft, which promise dramatic improvements in the cost and safety of human spaceflight. Teachers in Space already has 15 seats that have been donated or purchased for teachers, but the program’s goals go far beyond 15 teachers. In the long-term, Teachers in Space plans to fly at least 200 teachers a year. “We want to put a thousand astronaut teachers into American schools within the next decade, said Teachers in Space project manager Edward Wright.

Teachers in Space has already selected seven Pathfinder astronaut teacher candidates. These seven, who were announced on July 20, 2009, at NASA Ames Research Center, have already begun training for their flights into space, which are expected to occur in about two years. Last week, Teachers in Space announced that it will be selecting three additional Pathfinders. The new competition, which is expected to last about a year, will begin within the next few weeks.

Teachers who wish to be notified as soon as the competition begins should e-mail apply@teachersinspace.org with “New Competition” in the subject line. Details on the new competition will soon be available at this webpage.