2007.08.22: August 22, 2007: Headlines: Figures: COS - Dominican Republic: Space: Education: Orlando Sentinel: Joe Acaba awaits his flight into space
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2007.08.22: August 22, 2007: Headlines: Figures: COS - Dominican Republic: Space: Education: Orlando Sentinel: Joe Acaba awaits his flight into space
Joe Acaba awaits his flight into space
At Johnson Space Center, Acaba is assigned to the Hardware Integration Team in the Space Station Branch working on technical issues with the European Space Agency. Acaba, who has a master's degree in geology, said the NASA projects help him better understand the planet. If he doesn't fly on a mission before the shuttle program's retirement in 2010, Acaba's trip will have to wait until at least 2014, when the manned rockets of the new Constellation program will continue the exploration of space. Dominican Republic RPCV Joe Acaba is a Mission Specialist Educator Astronaut with NASA.
0,564638.story, Joe Acaba awaits his flight into space
Central Florida teacher awaits his flight into space
NASA's Educator Astronaut Program is preparing 3 more classroom leaders.
Alsy Acevedo | Sentinel Staff Writer
August 22, 2007
For Barbara Morgan, the teacher-turned-astronaut on space shuttle Endeavour, a classroom in space was a dream that took 22 years to come true.
It is a dream shared by three other teachers in the Educator Astronaut Program who are looking forward to a "faculty meeting" with Morgan now that Endeavour has returned to Earth.
One of those teachers is Central Florida's Joe Acaba.
Born in California to Puerto Rican parents, Acaba was teaching science and math at Dunnellon Middle School when NASA selected him for its program in April 2004.
That summer he moved to Houston from the Marion County city with a population of about 1,900.
"I had to go back to school and learn the various skills it takes to become an astronaut. So that's been a big change to going from a teacher to becoming more of a student," said Acaba, who completed his training in February 2006.
Recently, he was part of the crew that inspected shuttles Atlantis and Endeavour in Cape Canaveral before launch.
At Johnson Space Center, Acaba is assigned to the Hardware Integration Team in the Space Station Branch working on technical issues with the European Space Agency. Acaba, who has a master's degree in geology, said the NASA projects help him better understand the planet.
As an astronaut, he has returned to Central Florida several times to visit family, friends and students.
"He is the kind of teacher that makes things relevant for the students," said Juan Cordova, who was Dunnellon Middle School's principal in 2004.
Children look at Acaba with curiosity when he enters the schools wearing his astronaut's blue jumpsuit, but after a while they feel more at ease, Cordova said. By then the interrogation begins.
"They ask me when I'm going to space, and I tell them that I don't know, that we have to be patient," said Acaba, 40.
He may have to be very patient, in fact.
If he doesn't fly on a mission before the shuttle program's retirement in 2010, Acaba's trip will have to wait until at least 2014, when the manned rockets of the new Constellation program will continue the exploration of space.
Alsy Acevedo can be reached at aacevedo@orlandosentinel.com or 407-540-4004.
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Headlines: August, 2007; RPCV Joseph Acaba (Dominican Republic); Figures; Peace Corps Dominican Republic; Directory of Dominican Republic RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Dominican Republic RPCVs; Space; Education
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Story Source: Orlando Sentinel
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Dominican Republic; Space; Education
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