NASA Educator Astronaut Program Soaring

Nominations for NASA's Educator Astronaut Program are in high orbit. Since the Program's kickoff January 21, more than 1,300 teachers have been nominated to become members of the Astronaut Corps. Texas leads with 324 nominations, followed by 223 from Florida, and California with 163.

The Educator Astronaut web site is also receiving a high volume of traffic. More than 4.8 million visits have been recorded during the first 10 days of the program.

"After only a week, we are seeing tremendous interest in the program. The number of nominations coming in are a wonderful testament to the teaching profession," said Educator Astronaut Program Co-Manager Debbie Brown. "One enthusiastic teacher called today and said her students are so excited they are debating over who will write her letter of recommendation," she said.

Students, family members, friends and the public are encouraged to nominate K-12 teachers for this unique opportunity to join NASA's first class of Educator Astronauts. Selected teachers will perform the jobs and responsibilities of Mission Specialist Astronauts on Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions. Educator Astronauts will be trained for spacewalks, to operate the Shuttle's robotic arm, and lead research experiments. With their unique teaching skills, Educator Astronauts will help create extraordinary ways to share the space experience with millions of students and teachers.

Educators interested in applying for the program or anyone interested in nominating a teacher can find the qualifications at: http://edspace.nasa.gov/qualifications/qualif.html

To learn more about the Educator Astronaut Program and other NASA education activities on the Internet visit: www.edspace.nasa.gov