Off Beat: ‘Teacher in space’ hopeful reflects on Challenger disaster
By Tom Vogt, Columbian
Science, Military & History Reporter
Published: February 1, 2016, 10:00am
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Eighth-grade students in Bangor Township, Mich., watch a video Thursday of the January 1986 Challenger space shuttle launch. The students were learning about teacher-astronaut Christa McAuliffe, whom their middle school is named after, on the space shuttle accident's 30th anniversary. Andrew Dodson/The Bay City Times via AP)Photo Gallery
Just over 30 years ago, seventh-grade teacher Mike Murray was setting up video recorders on TV sets at Laurin Intermediate School. He wanted students to see the result of a NASA competition he’d been part of: the quest to put a teacher in space.
Murray was among 100 or so finalists left on the ground when NASA tabbed Christa McAuliffe for the 1986 shuttle ride. A Columbian reporter was at the Battle Ground district school, waiting for Murray to share an insider’s perspective on the launch.
It all went horribly wrong, of course. Here is how former reporter Bruce Westfall described the classroom’s reaction to the death of McAuliffe and her six fellow astronauts:
“I’m just glad my teacher wasn’t up there,” said a boy who began to cry halfway through the sentence. He buried his head in his hands. … Murray sat in a corner with his own head cupped in his hands.
The images of shattered shuttle pieces trailing smoke across the sky were in the news again when NASA held a 30th anniversary commemoration at Cape Canaveral. Many teachers who’d competed for the seat on the Challenger were there.
“The fortunate unselected,” was how Murray has described all the teachers who lost the coveted berth to McAuliffe.
Murray said he followed Thursday’s coverage from his Vancouver home.
“I saw it on TV,” he said. “It was a little upsetting, to tell you the truth.”
It wasn’t just the tragic aspects of the disaster, Murray noted. It’s also what has happened since.
“We’ve lost our ability to put people in space. We’ve essentially thrown away our legacy of space flight.”
NASA spacecraft have only one role now: “Taking up space in museums around the world.”
Murray retired in 2013 after 39 years of teaching. However, Murray — who finished his career at Vancouver’s Skyview High School — still supports students who might be part of a future space program. He and his wife, Margaret, have established a scholarship fund for Clark College students training for hands-on jobs in technical fields.
The majority of people in the American space program worked with their hands, he pointed out. He sees a new generation of American assemblers and fabricators setting the stage for future launches.
“I hold great hope for what we’re doing. Our corporate people are investing billions of dollars and will provide the leadership role.
“People will persevere in pushing frontiers. That’s what space embodies.”
Off Beatlets members of The Columbian news team step back from our newspaper beats to write the story behind the story, fill in the story or just tell a story.
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