Shuttle launches with teacher aboard

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Shuttle launches with teacher aboard

By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer
10 minutes ago

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour roared
into orbit Wednesday carrying teacher-astronaut Barbara
Morgan, who was finally fulfilling the dream of Christa
McAuliffe and the rest of the fallen Challenger crew.

Endeavour and its crew of seven rose from the seaside pad
at 6:36 p.m., right on time, and pierced a solidly blue sky.
They're expected to reach the international space station
on Friday.

Once Endeavour was safely past the 73-second mark of the
flight, the moment when Challenger exploded shortly after
the call "Go at throttle up," Mission Control exclaimed,
"Morgan racing toward space on the wings of a legacy."

Immediately after the shuttle reached orbit, Mission Control
announced, "For Barbara Morgan and her crewmates, class
is in session."

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070808/ap_on_re_us/space_shuttle

[Maddy McCall]

1. Heard and watched it all on NASA tv. It was flawless.

Still watching now...they are replaying it.

[Kutjara]

2. Who writes the corny spiel...

...the poor mission control announcer has to say at each launch? I love spaceflight as much as the next Mercurian, but it seems the legacy of Apollo 11 is that every launch, landing and use of the onboard lavatory has to be accompanied with portentious verbiage. Does every single thing in life have to be "Hollywoodized" to death?

"Racing toward space on the wings of a legacy," my ass.

[shireen]

3. LOL! Those crack me up! They must take hours to come up with it... :-)

[thereismore]

5. Bush's speachwriter. nt

[superconnected]

4. Rembering the last time they sent up a teacher, how I was in college

the day it blew up and we were watching it, it's sort of gruesome to bring up the circumstances again.

I'm glad it lifted off and they aren't dead.

I think a lot of people seeing the headline will remember and consider it could go very wrong.

[Dogmudgeon]

6. Just once, JUST ONCE, I want to hear an astronaut yell ...

"WOO-HOO!"

"FUCKIN' A! THIS IS FUCKIN' FANTASTIC!"

"I'M IN SPACE! I'M IN SPACE! YEAH!!!"

"THIS IS SOOO MUCH BETTER THAN AN ORGASM!"

"THIS IS SOOO MUCH BETTER THAN DOING ACID!"

--p!