North End in Boise in Ada County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)

In Recognition of the First Teacher in Space

USA · · · NASA

First Teacher in Space Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 4, 2026

1. First Teacher in Space Marker

Inscription. America’s first teacher in space was Christa McAuliffe of New Hampshire. McCall, Idaho teacher Barbara Morgan, backup to Christa M. has accepted NASA’s offer to fly as the next teacher in space. David Marquart from Boise High School, was one of ten teachers also named to the space program.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Women.

Location. 43° 37.119′ N, 116° 11.928′ W. Marker is in Boise, Idaho, in Ada County. It is in North End. It is on West State Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 700 W State Street, Boise ID 83702, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Idaho’s Snake River Plain.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Idaho's Liberty Bell Replica (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Oregon Trail Monument (about 600 feet away); Frank Steunenberg

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(about 700 feet away); Operation Desert Storm Memorial (about 700 feet away); Sawtooth National Recreation Area (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lumberjack to Statesman (approx. 0.2 miles away); Snake River Birds of Prey Area (approx. 0.2 miles away); Abraham Lincoln and Idaho (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Boise.

Also see . . . Barbara Morgan - Former NASA Astronaut and Backup Teacher in Space. Barbara Morgan is an educator and retired NASA astronaut. Morgan is the public elementary school teacher who trained with the Challenger crew as the back-up for Teacher in Space Christa McAuliffe, then later served as a NASA astronaut for 10 years. Morgan graduated with honors and a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology from Stanford University. She earned her teaching credential at College of Notre Dame (Notre Dame de Namur University). She taught public school for 24 years in diverse locations including the Bay Area in California, the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, a small mountain town in Idaho, and Colegio Americano in Quito, Ecuador. In 1985, Morgan (back-up) and Christa McAuliffe (Teacher

In Recognition of the First Teacher in Space Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 4, 2026

2. In Recognition of the First Teacher in Space Marker

in Space) were selected to train with the space shuttle Challenger crew. After that mission ended tragically shortly after lift-off with the loss of the crew, NASA asked Morgan to continue as Teacher in Space Designee. She returned to her teaching in Idaho and continued to work for NASA, part-time, where her duties included public speaking, educational consulting, curriculum design, and serving on the National Science Foundation’s Task Force for Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering.

NASA selected Morgan to the 1998 astronaut class. She flew 5.3 million miles in space in 2007 on STS-118, a two-week mission to help construct the International Space Station. Her duties included operating the space shuttle and space station robotic arms, serving as loadmaster, assisting the pilots with re-entry and landing, and teaching lessons from orbit to schoolchildren on Earth. In addition to spaceflight, Morgan worked in Mission Control as prime communicator (“Capcom”) with on-orbit crews, and she served in the Space Station Operations Branch and Robotics Branch of the Astronaut Office.

Morgan retired from NASA in 2008

Multiple markers image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 4, 2026

3. Multiple markers

Challenger
Jan. 28, 1986
Cape Canaveral
Francis Scobee-1939, Commander
Michael Smith-1945, Pilot
Judith Resnik-1949
Ronald McNair-1950
Ellison Onizuka-1946
Gregory Jarvis-1944
Christa McAuliffe-1948

Columbia
Feb. 1, 2003
Texas - Louisiana - Arkansas
Rick Husband-1957, Commander
William McCool-1961, Pilot
Michael Anderson-1959
David Brown-1956
Kalpana Chawla-1961
Laurel Clark-1961
Ilan Ramon-1954
Israel's First Astronaut

Apollo
Jan. 27, 1967
Cape Kennedy
Virgil Grissom-1927
Edward White-1931
Roger Chaffee-1936

Boy Scouts of America
1910-1985
Commemorating 75 years of Service
to Youth of America, Touching and
Training Millions for Leadership
In This Nation and World.
This Monument Funded, Designed,
Built and Dedicated to the
State of Idaho by
Eagle Scouts Ralston, Jeremy and
Timothy Fuhriman.
November 1986

to become Distinguished Educator in Residence at Boise State University, where she represented the university and provided vision and leadership to the State of Idaho, primarily in STEM education. Her work included policy and program development, advocacy, and mentoring. Currently, Morgan works with Boise State University as Emeritus, and continues to work with national and international education organizations, other non-profits, and NASA.

Morgan’s many awards include, most recently, the Columbia University Teachers College Medal for Distinguished Service and the inaugural Idaho Medal of Achievement, the state’s highest civilian honor for service. She has earned two honorary doctorates ‒ in science and public service ‒ and has two public schools named after her. (Submitted on July 10, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 4, 2026

4. In Recognition of the First Teacher in Space Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 10, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 10, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.