July 21, 2007

UCD grad part of next shuttle team
Daily Democrat

Two California astronauts, including one who graduated from UC Davis, will make their first journey into orbit during space shuttle Endeavour's upcoming mission to the International Space Station.

Endeavour is targeted to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Aug. 7 with Tracy Caldwell and Barbara R. Morgan.

Caldwell was born in Arcadia. She received her bachelor's degree in chemistry from CSU Fullerton and a doctorate in physical chemistry from UC Davis.

Caldwell was selected to the NASA astronaut corps in 1998. She has worked as a space station capsule communicator inside mission control and supported launch and landing operations at Kennedy.

Morgan was born in Fresno, where she attended Hoover High School. She continued her educational pursuits with a bachelor's degree in human biology from Stanford University in Palo Alto, and received her teaching credentials from the College of Notre Dame in Belmont. She began her association with NASA in 1985 when she was selected as the backup for the Teacher in Space Project, which was canceled following the Challenger accident. NASA selected Morgan as an educator astronaut in 1998.