Elizabeth "Libby" Anne Jackson OBE FRAeS (born 18 March 1981) [1] is a British space exploration expert who works for the UK Space Agency.
Libby Jackson's enthusiasm for space travel started young, when, as a seven-year-old, she wrote a Travel Guide to Mars. [2] Aged fifteen she attended Space School, before choosing A-Levels in Physics, Maths, Further Maths and Music. [3] [4] She developed an interest in human spaceflight aged seventeen, after shadowing a flight director at NASA Johnson Space Center. [5] She went on to complete a BSc in physics at Imperial College London in 2002 and an MSc in Astronautics and Space Engineering at Cranfield University in 2003. [6] [5]
After graduating from Cranfield, Jackson worked as a graduate engineer at EADS Astrium. [7] From 2007, Libby Jackson worked at Europe's control centre for the International Space Station (ISS) as a flight instructor and controller. [8] She became director for the ISS European Space Agency (ESA) Columbus Module in 2010. [9] Jackson joined the UK Space Agency in 2014 and became spokesperson for Tim Peake's mission to the ISS. [10] In 2016 and 2018, Jackson spoke at the National Student Space Conference, hosted by UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (UKSEDS), the UK's national student space society. [11] She coordinated the UK Space Agency education and outreach programme for Peake's mission. [9] [12] She previously managed the Human Exploration Programme at the UK Space Agency, representing the UK's interest in human spaceflight and microgravity, [13] [14] and is currently the Head of Space Exploration. [15]
In July 2019 she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University of Kent [16] and in the 2023 New Year Honours was awarded an Order of the British Empire "for services to the Space Sector". [17]
Jackson works to improve the public perception of space science and engineering, contributing to mainstream media and speaking at large events. [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] In 2016, Jackson ran the London Marathon in an astronaut costume, whilst at the same event, Tim Peake became the first male to run a marathon in space. [24] She was part of the team awarded the Sir Arthur Clarke Award from the British Interplanetary Society in 2016 for the outreach activities surrounding Tim Peake's Principia Mission. [25] [26] Her first book, A Galaxy of Her Own, was published in 2017. [27] Her second book, Space Explorers, was published in 2020. [28]
Peggy Annette Whitson is an American biochemistry researcher, retired NASA astronaut, former NASA Chief Astronaut, and an active Axiom Space astronaut. Whitson has a total of 675 days in space, more than any other American or woman.
Helen Patricia Sharman, CMG, OBE, HonFRSC is a British chemist and astronaut who became the first British person, first Western European woman and first privately funded woman in space, as well as the first woman to visit the Mir space station, in May 1991.
Sunita Lyn Williams, nicknamed Suni in the United States and Sončka in Slovenia, is an American astronaut, United States Navy officer, and former record holder for most spacewalks by a woman (seven) and most spacewalk time for a woman. Williams was assigned to the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 14 and Expedition 15. In 2012, she served as a flight engineer on Expedition 32 and then commander of Expedition 33.
The European Astronaut Corps is a unit of the European Space Agency (ESA) that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members on U.S. and Russian space missions. The corps has 13 active members, able to serve on the International Space Station (ISS). The European Astronaut Corps is based at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany. They can be assigned to various projects both in Europe or elsewhere in the world, at NASA Johnson Space Center or Star City.
Satoshi Furukawa is a Japanese surgeon and JAXA astronaut. Furukawa was assigned to the International Space Station as a flight engineer on long-duration missions Expedition 28/29, lifting off 7 June 2011 and returning 22 November 2011.
Akihiko Hoshide is a Japanese engineer, JAXA astronaut, and former commander of the International Space Station. On August 30, 2012, Hoshide became the third Japanese astronaut to walk in space.
Project Juno was a privately funded campaign which selected Helen Sharman to be the first Briton in space.
Michele Karen Dougherty is a Professor of Space Physics at Imperial College London. She is leading unmanned exploratory missions to Saturn and Jupiter and is Principal Investigator for J-MAG – a magnetometer for the European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, due for launch in April 2023.
Major Timothy "Tim" Nigel Peake is a British author, Army Air Corps officer and European Space Agency astronaut.
Samantha Cristoforetti is an Italian European Space Agency astronaut, former Italian Air Force pilot and engineer. She holds the record for the longest uninterrupted spaceflight by a European astronaut, and she held the record for the longest single space flight by a woman until this was broken by Peggy Whitson in June 2017, and later by Christina Koch. She is also the first Italian woman in space. She took command of ISS Expedition 68 on 28 September 2022.
Andreas Enevold "Andy" Mogensen is a Danish engineer and ESA astronaut who is best known for being the first Dane to fly in space as part of the European Space Agency's iriss program. Mogensen has also been involved in a number of other space-related projects throughout his career, including working as a test engineer for ESTEC and as a member of the European Astronaut Corps. In addition to his work with ESA, he has also worked with NASA and other international space agencies. Mogensen returned to space in August 2023 for his second spaceflight to the ISS onboard SpaceX Crew Dragon as the first non-American to serve as a pilot.
Serena Maria Auñón-Chancellor is an American physician, engineer, and NASA astronaut. She visited the ISS as a flight engineer for Expedition 56/57 on the International Space Station.
Kjell Norwood Lindgren is an American astronaut who was selected in June 2009 as a member of the NASA Astronaut Group 20. He launched to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of Expedition 44/45 on July 22, 2015.
Mark Thomas Vande Hei is a retired United States Army officer and current NASA astronaut who has served as a flight engineer for Expedition 53, 54, 64, 65, and 66 on the International Space Station.
Jessica Ulrika Meir is an American NASA astronaut, marine biologist, and physiologist. She was previously an assistant professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, following postdoctoral research in comparative physiology at the University of British Columbia. She has studied the diving physiology and behavior of emperor penguins in Antarctica, and the physiology of bar-headed geese, which are able to migrate over the Himalayas. In September 2002, Meir served as an aquanaut on the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 4 crew. In 2013, she was selected by NASA to Astronaut Group 21. In 2016, Meir participated in ESA CAVES, a training course in which international astronauts train in a space-analogue cave environment. Meir launched on September 25, 2019, to the ISS onboard Soyuz MS-15, where she served as a flight Engineer during Expedition 61 and 62. On October 18, 2019, Meir and Christina Koch were the first women to participate in an all-female spacewalk.
Expedition 46 was the 46th expedition to the International Space Station.
Matthias Josef Maurer is a German ESA astronaut and Materials scientist, who was selected in 2015 to take part in space training.
Anupam Ojha is a British space exploration administrator employed at the UK Space Agency. He is a Director of the National Space Centre, serves on the Science and Technology Facilities Council, as a member of the European Space Agency Human Spaceflight and Exploration Science Advisory Committee (HESAC).
Nicole Buckley is a Canadian biologist. Buckley was the Chief Scientist for Life Sciences and ISS Utilization at the Canadian Space Agency. Appointed to the role in 2009, she worked to highlight the benefits of space science for all, particularly in regard to research on ageing in space. Her current position is Team Leader for the SciSpacE team at the European Space Agency (ESA).
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