A teacher from Galveston will be among the six-person crew in Blue Origin’s next trip to space, the company announced Wednesday. The mission, named NS-32, is the New Shepard program’s 12th human and 32nd overall flight. The flight’s date has not yet been announced. Blue Origin released the crew’s names and qualifications, and said a livestream will be available on its website 30 minutes before takeoff. Aymette (Amy) Medina Jorge Jorge, a high school and middle school STEM teacher at Odyssey Academy in Galveston, secured her spot on the NS-32 mission after receiving a sponsored seat from Farmacias Similares, a pharmaceutical chain in Mexico. Blue Origin said Jorge has led more than 60 space experiments among her students, including developing and flying biometric sensors with her students, and performing in-flight 3D printing. Blue Origin said Jorge is the 2013 recipient of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Challenger Center Trailblazing STEM Educator Award. Born in Puerto Rico, Blue Origin said Jorge’s mission is to boost Hispanic representation in STEM fields and push for greater inclusion in science for underrepresented communities. Dr. Gretchen Green Dr. Green is a radiologist specializing in women’s imaging…

The Texas Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would more than double the amount of money the state spends to lure film and television production to Texas. Senate Bill 22, filed by Houston Republican Sen. Joan Huffman, would direct the comptroller to deposit $500 million into a new Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Fund every two years until 2035. That figure is more than state lawmakers have ever allocated for media production since they first started funding a film incentive grant in 2007. The bill received heavy praise from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and passed with a 23-8 vote. Those who opposed the bill raised concerns about how the governor’s office will determine which productions to fund. The bill gives the governor’s office complete discretion over which projects receive grant funding. The bill now moves to the House for consideration. Since 2007, lawmakers have funded the film incentive program at varying levels, with $50 million during one legislative session followed by $45 million the next. A then-historic $200 million came during the most recent session. The variability has left producers tentative to film in Texas for fear that the money might vanish at the whims of lawmakers….