Local teacher to witness Florida shuttle launch

NASA has invited Linda Anderson, a teacher at Flory Academy of Sciences and Technology, to the launch of space shuttle Endeavor on Tues., Aug. 7 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Anderson's visit will include a viewing of the launch from the Banana Creek site, the closest location to the launch site for observation.

The shuttle's crew of seven astronauts will go on a construction mission to the International Space Station. The Endeavor will carry mission specialist and educator astronaut Barbara Morgan on her first flight.

The launch will be preceded by a three-day pre-launch conference, which will bring together leaders in education, business and other professions to discuss how to engage students in mathematics, science, technology and engineering.

Flory is one of 50 NASA Explorer Schools in the United States. Since 2004, students at these schools have taken part in a series of science and engineering activities designed to inspire students to pursue careers in science, math and technology.

During the partnership, Moorpark students have talked by radio to astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station, toured NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratories, worked on campus with scientists from JPL, played with a model of the Mars Rover, visited with astronauts at school, teleconferenced with space scientists and conducted space simulations.