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Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington              February 27, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-1726)

RELEASE: 03-083

EDUCATOR ASTRONAUT REPORT CARD:  
Education Partners Provide Crisis Resources

     NASA's partners and friends at Challenger Learning Centers and 
the California Department of Education have nurtured and engaged 
students for years, and they are currently helping students and 
teachers cope with the Columbia tragedy by providing helpful 
resources.  

Dr. Adena Williams Loston, NASA's Associate Administrator for 
Education, said, "The Challenger families took on the goal and 
responsibility for motivating students to continue their quest and 
desire to forge ahead in space exploration 17 years ago. Since the 
Columbia mishap, the Challenger Centers have once again proven their 
resounding and undaunted strength by providing web-based resources for
talking with children about the tragedy. They have also posted a 
letter to the children of the Columbia crew written by Kathie Scobee 
Fulgham, daughter of Dick Scobee, the Commander of the Space Shuttle 
Challenger." "The California Department of Education sent us a kind 
letter of encouragement and has also offered resources in crisis
counseling," she said.

The Educator Astronaut Program has received more than 2,200 
nominations since the Columbia accident, and more than 4,900 total 
nominations since the program debuted on January 21, 2003.

The letter addressed to the children of the Columbia astronauts, 
written by Kathie Scobee Fulgham and the children of the Challenger 
crew, is posted on the Internet at:

http://www.challenger.org/columbia/fulgham.html

Resources for talking with children about the tragedy are on the 
California Department of Education Web site and the Challenger Center 
Web site:

http://www.cde.ca.gov/spbranch/ssp/crisis.html

http://www.challenger.org/Talkwithkids.htm

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

For more information about NASA on the Internet:  www.nasa.gov

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