Next Mission Includes Teacher-Turned-Astronaut Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger

NASA highlighted the educational activities planned on the next space shuttle mission during a news briefing on Tuesday. Astronaut and former school teacher Ricky Arnold was joined by Cindy McArthur from the Teaching from Space Office to discuss educational activities involving astronaut and former teacher Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger during the STS-131 shuttle flight.

Metcalf-Lindenburger will be the last of the three school teachers selected as mission specialists in the 2004 Educator Astronaut Class to fly on the space shuttle. Arnold and Joseph Acaba flew on the STS-119 shuttle mission in March 2009.

The educational activities on the STS-131 shuttle mission to the International Space Station will focus on robotics and careers in science, technology, engineering and math. The briefing also will explain how educators can become involved in learning activities during and after the shuttle mission.

NASA says that, without robotics, major accomplishments of building the station, repairing satellites in space and exploring other worlds would not be possible. Metcalf-Lindenburger will operate the space shuttle's robotic arm and a 50-foot Orbiter Boom Sensing System to inspect the shuttle for any damage that might have occurred during launch or in space. A digital camera and laser system on the boom's end provide three-dimensional imagery used by analysts to assess the health of the shuttle's heat shield.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/education/robotics