Version 1.2 13 Feb 2003 by Philip A Turek
Why do you want to be an Educator Astronaut?
A significant person in my life once challenged me to get involved, to change the world for the better. I then realized the US space program holds the key to reshaping our society, as disparate groups can unite to reach toward the stars together. In 1990 I took the first step toward becoming a space activist by mailing a letter to the Vice-President, outlining my vision for a space program that emphasizes education and team building. Becoming an Educator Astronaut brings me closer to my goal of personally making the world better.
I passionately teach current and future manned space travel. Many students currently doubt we ever landed on the Moon due to a Moon hoax special aired on television. I now devote time to teaching my students relevant science basics (such as how light behaves in a vacuum) to avoid falling for that program. I would dearly love to personally debunk that show. Equipped with an American flag identical to the ones planted on the Moon, I would venture out the airlock and lead the students in the pledge of allegiance. They would see with their own eyes how the flag behaves in a vacuum. (It will only flap whenever I touch it.) I would deliberately point out they cannot see the stars around me unless I increase the exposure time on the cameras watching me. I would deploy a kite behind the shuttle to show how the shuttle's thrusters exert negligible pressure on the kite when they fire. These three demonstrations would trump the main arguments advanced in the first ten minutes of the television show, breaking students free from being led astray. Hopefully, it would open up a pipeline of students applying to NASA and striving to become astronauts. Personally that would be quite satisfying for me.
Copyright © 2003 Philip A Turek. Used by permission.