The Space Experience Communicating the space experience, sending someone into Earth orbit who could tell us what it's like in our own terms, has long been a NASA goal. And in August 1984, the Space Flight Participant Program was given the green light by President Reagan. Today I'm directing NASA to begin a search in all of our elementary and secondary schools and to choose as the first citizen passenger in the history of our space program. One of America's finest, a teacher. Last June the semifinalists in NASA's Teacher and Space Project met the press for the first time in Washington, D.C. The 114 educators selected from over 11,000 applicants spent a week in the nation's capital, becoming familiar with the history of space travel, and of course taking notes in workshops dealing with various aspects of shuttle flight. The next major milestone came in early July when the 10 finalists were announced. These teachers had survived an extensive screening process, but they had to demonstrate even more right stuff during their two weeks day at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. After a series of tests to ensure that they were medically fit to fly aboard the shuttle, the 10 were given a ride on the KC-135, a hollowed out padded jet that simulates weightlessness for short periods of time. Finally on July 19, Vice President Bush made their historic day. Congratulations and we have a literary school teacher from the fall of Iowa who was selected as the backup candidate and Pistom McCollum, a current New Hector High School social studies teacher, a senior one to actually fly and stay. It's not often that a teacher is at a loss for words. I know my students wouldn't think so. I've made nine wonderful friends over the last two weeks. When that shuttle goes, they might do one body. But there's going to be ten souls that I'm taking with me. Thank you for the time. I'm considering a ten-year selection. I've been a lot to learn, but they show me good teachers and have talent students. During her shuttle flight in addition to keeping the journal, Mrs. McCollum will teach two live lessons from space. One called the ultimate team, and the other, where we've been, where we've gone, what? Which will be but the other life. The school will go on the phone. Do you know for a number of other experiments, they do not know. They've been shown for classroom use after the mission. Her goal? I would like to humanize the space age by giving a perspective from a non-astronaut because I think the students will look at that and say, this is an ordinary person. This ordinary person is contributing to history. And if they can make that connection, then they're going to get excited about history. They're going to get excited about the future. They're going to get excited about space. While Christopher Ferris will provide life goes on in concrete and density. Because he must talk for the past five years. Understandably, things at the McCollum house have changed. For example, there's now a notice really. Everything throws us on the freezer to the microwave. But husband, Stephen, they're turning. Yawher, Caroline, and Sun Scott. We have to keep it on their app. And responsibilities without reservations. You're talking about a human being, being free of the bonds of gravity orbiting the earth. There aren't many human beings that have done that. And I think both of us feel that whatever the price in terms of readjustments are my taking on things that I probably should have been doing before anyway and hadn't done. Whatever those prices are, they certainly pale in comparison to the opportunity. Visit the public heart and you'll really understand what a special future is. It's just the color of the former student and the book. Even though Mrs. McCollum was a great economics teacher, I think what I learned most from her was outside the classroom. She taught me that the little person counts in that anyone can make an effect on our society and on the world. She proved that by being the first private citizen in space and being the first teacher in space. And I think she's attributed to her profession and we're all very proud of her. Even in this theater, I'm really proud of her. It's beautiful. I mean the whole thing is so gorgeous. You just want to bring it all back into the classroom through a kid.