Schoolteacher to Join Shuttle Crew in January

The American teacher chosen to fly aboard the space shuttle will make the trip in January, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said today.

The agency made the disclosure in releasing a revised shuttle launch manifest that lists 41 flights between now and the end of 1987. There are nine more scheduled this year, 15 in 1986 and 17 in 1987.

The manifest shows the first shuttle launch from a new site at Vandenberg Air Force Base is set for March 20 next year, a delay from the previously announced date of Jan. 29.

The list, which includes cargo and crew names for most of the flights, also shows that guest astronauts from nine countries will fly before July, 1986. The countries are Saudi Arabia, France, West Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico, Indonesia, Great Britain, India and Canada.

More than 10,690 schoolteachers applied to be the first teacher in space, and officials in each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, territories and trusts of the United States are in the process of selecting two candidates from each jurisdiction.

The 118 nominees will attend a workshop and orientation program in June in Washington. A review board will recommend 10 finalists in July, and they will report to Johnson Space Center in Houston for medical exams.