Barbara Morgan
She carried the torch for educators in space, transforming from a backup teacher into a fully-fledged NASA astronaut two decades later.
Born 1951 (age 75)·American teacher and former astronaut·Birthday: November 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Barbara Morgan began as an elementary school teacher in Idaho, a career she loved, when NASA selected her as the backup to Christa McAuliffe for the Teacher in Space Project. The 1986 Challenger disaster, which took McAuliffe's life, grounded the program but not Morgan's resolve. She returned to teaching, yet maintained her connection to NASA, advocating for education. In a remarkable turn, over a decade later, NASA invited her not as a teacher-in-space, but as a full astronaut candidate. She underwent the same rigorous training as any mission specialist, mastering robotics and spacewalk procedures. In 2007, aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-118, she finally reached orbit, operating the robotic arm and communicating with students from space, fulfilling a long-deferred promise and proving that perseverance can literally reach the stars.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Barbara was born in 1951, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Barbara Was Born
The biggest hits of 1951
#1 Movie
Quo Vadis
Best Picture
An American in Paris
#1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Barbara's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1951Born
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1956Started school
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1964Became a teenager
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Could drive
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1969Could vote
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Turned 21
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1981Turned 30
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 40
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 50
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 60
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 70
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 75 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Selected as the backup to Christa McAuliffe for NASA's Teacher in Space Project in 1985.
- Became a fully qualified NASA mission specialist, completing astronaut training in 1998.
- Flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-118 in 2007, operating the station's robotic arm.
- Became the first educator to conduct a spacewalk, though her scheduled EVA was cancelled due to time constraints.
Did You Know?
During her spaceflight, she famously held up a sign that read 'The Classroom is in Session' for a downlink to students on Earth.
Before becoming an astronaut, she taught second, third, and fourth grades at McCall-Donnelly Elementary School in Idaho.
An asteroid, 113845, is named 'Barbaramorgan' in her honor.
She conducted several live educational interviews from the International Space Station, including one with the crew of the MIR space station.
“I got to fly in space, and it's an incredible experience. But it's no more incredible than watching a child learn to read.”
