The space shuttle Endeavour lifted off into humid skies on Wednesday evening, carrying pieces of the International Space Station and a living reminder of the loss of the shuttle Challenger two decades ago. One of the Endeavour’s astronauts, Barbara R Morgan, was the backup to Christa McAuliffe for the teacher-in-space programme in 1986. Morgan was one of the spectators at the Kennedy Space Centre when the Challenger exploded 73 seconds into flight on January 28, 1986, killing McAuliffe and the other six astronauts.On this flight, Morgan’s first, she is not a teacher but a mission specialist. Her primary task will be operating the shuttle’s robotic arm while other astronauts are conducting spacewalks.But she is scheduled to conduct at least one video question-and-answer session with students on the ground. If the mission is extended to 14 days from 11, she will conduct two additional sessions.Relatives of the Challenger astronauts were invited to the Endeavour launching. Several, including June Scobee Rodgers, widow of the Challenger’s commander, Francis R Scobee, attended.Sixty of the 114 finalists for the teacher-in-space programme watched the Endeavour’s launching, including Stephanie Wright, who also watched the final Challenger launching. That Morgan is now in space is “an absolute fantastic dream come true for educators and children across the country,” Wright said.The Endeavour is carrying a 4,000-pound truss segment and other pieces to be installed on the space station. Three spacewalks are planned, with the possibility of a fourth. The mission is scheduled to last 11 days.
