Of the scores of questions Barbara Morgan was asked Monday during her return to Idaho, the most poignant was what personal treasures she took with her into space.
"My family and friends and the crew of the Challenger; I had them right here," she said, pointing to her heart.
Monday was the former McCall third-grade teacher's first time back in Idaho since her August mission aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The mission fulfilled her 21-year dream of going into space after serving as backup for Teacher-in-Space Christa McAuliffe, one of the crew members killed when the shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986.
Rep. Margaret Henbest, D-Idaho, gave Morgan a gubernatorial proclamation designating Monday Barbara Morgan Day in Idaho. Substituting for Gov. Butch Otter, who had other obligations, Henbest called Morgan's achievement "an American dream. Thank you for your patience and perseverance. You've taught us a lot."
Many of Morgan's admirers Monday were students. She had breakfast at the Discovery Center of Idaho with 14 of those who asked her questions there via a linkup during her flight. Hundreds filled the Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts to ask her questions.
Many either wanted to know whether being blasted into space was frightening, or what it felt like.
"Even though you're in an extreme environment and it's very dangerous work, you know the people on the ground have worked hard and that you've worked really hard to know everything you're supposed to do," she said. "It's a little like riding a bicycle. It can be dangerous, but you know what you're supposed to do and that gives you confidence. The liftoff is very loud. You really feel the pressure of the shuttle. You almost feel like it will push right through you."
Far from being frightened, Morgan said she had "a big smile on my face," knowing her long wait was finally over.
She got a laugh from her Morrison Center audience while showing a photograph with her hair standing straight up in the weightless environment.
"Every day in space is a bad hair day," she said.
Not one to miss a teaching opportunity, she commented on a photo of the space shuttle's robotic arm by saying her job as a robotics specialist required a working knowledge of geometry.
"All that geometry you use in school? You actually get to use it."
She said she'd like to return to space, possibly as a crew member aboard the International Space Station.
"That's where you really learn what it's like to be in space," she told the students. "People have been aboard the space station continuously since 2001. It's all about getting us ready to go back to the moon or Mars. That's where you could be someday."
After the Challenger disaster, Morgan returned to teaching. NASA invited her into the astronaut corps in 1998. She began training as a mission specialist. She was scheduled to go into space in fall 2003, but the Columbia shuttle disaster that year delayed her mission until this year.
What's next for Morgan?
"I have a lot more learning and sharing to do," as a NASA astronaut, she said. "But I hope to get back to teaching, too. I'd love to be teaching in Idaho again.
Tim Woodward: 377-6409
