Ellen Ochoa

Last updated

Ellen Ochoa
Ellen Ochoa.jpg
Ochoa in 2002
Born (1958-05-10) May 10, 1958 (age 65)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education San Diego State University (BS)
Stanford University (MS, PhD)
Space career
NASA astronaut
Time in space
41d 19h 35m
Selection NASA Group 13 (1990)
Missions STS-56
STS-66
STS-96
STS-110
Mission insignia
 Sts-56-patch.png Sts-66-patch.png Sts-96-patch.svg Sts-110-patch.png

Ellen Ochoa (born May 10, 1958) is an American engineer, former astronaut and former director of the Johnson Space Center. [1] In 1993, Ochoa became the first Latina woman to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. [2] Ochoa became director of the center upon the retirement of the previous director, Michael Coats, on December 31, 2012. [3] She was the first Latina director and the second female director of Johnson Space Center.

Contents

Early life and education

Ellen Lauri Ochoa was born on May 10, 1958, in Los Angeles, California [4] to Joseph and Rosanne (née Deardorff) Ochoa. Her paternal grandparents emigrated from Sonora, Mexico to Arizona and later to California where her father was born. [5] She grew up in La Mesa, California. [1] Ochoa was the middle child of five and neither parent had college degrees. [6]

Ochoa graduated from Grossmont High School in El Cajon in 1975. Her parents divorced when she was in high school and she lived with her mother and her brothers. [7]

Ochoa received a bachelor of science degree in physics from San Diego State University and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1980, before earning a master of science degree and a doctorate from Stanford Department of Electrical Engineering in 1981 and 1985, respectively. [8] During her time at San Diego State University she found that she loved physics, math, and engineering; ultimately, deciding to major in physics and electrical engineering from Stanford. [6]

Career

Research

As a doctoral student at Stanford, and later as a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories and the NASA Ames Research Center, Ochoa investigated optical systems for performing information processing. [1] At the NASA Ames Research Center, she led a research group working primarily on optical systems for automated space exploration. [1] At Sandia National Laboratories, she applied what she knew about optics to the research being done on nuclear weapons. [6] She had three patents for her work in optical systems. The first patent was for an optical inspection system that was designed to detect defects in repeating patterns. This was beneficial to analyze impurities in materials such as semiconductors to help with quality control. Her second patent was for an automated inspection system. This system was also designed to analyze manufactured components for imperfections or defects. Her third patent was for a method and apparatus designed to recognize texture patterns from photos. [9] [10] [11]

Ochoa was enticed by optical systems and committed to improving its applications for performing information processing. She wanted to help computers "see". NASA later recognized her methods in optics could be used in fabricating such as inspecting for flaws, or it might be used on a space vehicle such as the Rover. [12]

As Chief of the Intelligent Systems Technology Branch at Ames, she supervised 35 engineers and scientists in the research and development of computational systems for aerospace missions. Ochoa has presented numerous papers at technical conferences and in scientific journals. [13]

NASA

Ellen Ochoa aboard Space Shuttle Discovery during mission STS-56. STS056-04-008 - STS-056 - Crewmember in the aft flight deck. - DPLA - 7bff9e94bfcb8af75986e6494d14c3fe (cropped).jpg
Ellen Ochoa aboard Space Shuttle Discovery during mission STS-56.

In 1985, Dr. Ochoa sent in an application for the NASA Astronaut program, which was considered during the 1987 selection process. She got to interview but wasn’t selected. She kept her application updated, and also got a pilot’s license to gain operational experience, and she was invited to interview again during the next selection, when she was selected as part of the 1990 class of astronauts. [6]

Ochoa was selected by NASA in January 1990 and became an astronaut in July 1991. [1] Her technical assignments in the Astronaut Office included serving as the crew representative for flight software, computer hardware and robotics, Assistant for Space Station to the Chief of the Astronaut Office, lead spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in Mission Control and acting as Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office. [1]

Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman to go to space [14] [15] when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1993. The purpose of the Shuttle mission was to study the Earth's ozone layer. A veteran of four space flights, Ochoa has logged nearly 1000 hours in space. [16] She was a mission specialist on STS-56 (1993), was payload commander on STS-66, and was mission specialist and flight engineer on STS-96 and STS-110 in 2002. [1] [17] Her third trip was for the STS-96 mission, which was a significant trip as it marked the first docking of a space shuttle with the International Space Station. On this mission, the crew delivered supplies, equipment, and performed a few experiments with the ISS. Dr. Ochoa’s last trip was for the STS-110 mission, which was focused on the assembly of the ISS. Ochoa was in Mission Control during the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and was one of the first personnel informed of television coverage showing Columbia's disintegration. [18]

From 2007, after retiring from spacecraft operations, Ochoa served as Deputy Director of NASA's Johnson Space Center, helping to manage and direct the Astronaut Office and Aircraft Operations. On January 1, 2013, Ochoa became the first Hispanic and second female director of the Johnson Space Center. [19]

National Service

Ochoa was named Vice Chair of the National Science Board for the 2018–2020 term. She currently chairs the committee evaluating nominations for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. [20]

Personal life

Ochoa's husband is Coe Miles, an intellectual property attorney. [21] They have two sons. [21] Ochoa is a classical flutist and played with the Stanford Symphony Orchestra, once receiving the Student Soloist Award. [22] While an undergraduate at San Diego State University, she played the flute for two years as part of the university marching band and for five years as a member of the university wind ensemble. She took a flute with her on her first mission to space. [23]

Recognition

Ochoa in 2014 Ellen Ochoa, official portrait.jpg
Ochoa in 2014

The Ochoa Middle School located in Pasco, Washington, the Ellen Ochoa Elementary School in Cudahy, CA and the Ánimo Ellen Ochoa Charter Middle School in East Los Angeles are named in her honor. In addition, Grand Prairie, Texas has the Ellen Ochoa STEM Academy at Ben Milam Elementary School and Pico Rivera, California has the Ellen Ochoa Prep Academy. [24] Union Public Schools in Tulsa named a new elementary school after her as well, [25] as did the school system in Passaic, NJ. [26]

A flag with the rocket logo of the Ochoa Middle School in Pasco, Washington, flew with Ochoa in April 2002 aboard the Shuttle Atlantis for an 11-day mission to the International Space Station. Ochoa returned the flag to the school when she visited as a special guest at the 2002 dedication and it remains on permanent display. [27]

Ochoa has received many awards among which are NASA's Distinguished Service Medal (2015), [28] Exceptional Service Medal (1997), Outstanding Leadership Medal (1995) and Space Flight Medals (2002, 1999, 1994, 1993). [1] Ochoa and Michael Foale were announced as the 2017 class of the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame. [29] Ochoa was recognized in Hispanic Executive's 2017 Best of the Boardroom [30] issue for her work as a board director for Johnson Space Center. She was inducted into the 2018 International Air and Space Hall of Fame class. [31]

Ochoa is a Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the National Academy of Inventors, [20] and Optica. [32]

An animated version of Ochoa was featured in the 2019 episode "Astronaut Ellen Ochoa" of the children's television program, Ready Jet Go! . [33] In 2024, Ochoa was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden. [34]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sally Ride</span> American physicist and astronaut (1951–2012)

Sally Kristen Ride was an American astronaut and physicist. Born in Los Angeles, she joined NASA in 1978, and in 1983 became the first American woman and the third woman to fly in space, after cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova in 1963 and Svetlana Savitskaya in 1982. She was the youngest American astronaut to have flown in space, having done so at the age of 32.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eileen Collins</span> American astronaut and pilot (born 1956)

Eileen Marie Collins is a retired NASA astronaut and United States Air Force (USAF) colonel. A former flight instructor and test pilot, Collins was the first woman to pilot the Space Shuttle and the first to command a Space Shuttle mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Crippen</span> American astronaut (born 1937)

Robert Laurel Crippen is an American retired naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer, and retired astronaut. He traveled into space four times: as pilot of STS-1 in April 1981, the first Space Shuttle mission; and as commander of STS-7 in June 1983, STS-41-C in April 1984, and STS-41-G in October 1984. He was also a part of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL), Skylab Medical Experiment Altitude Test (SMEAT), ASTP support crew member, and the Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) for the Space Shuttle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Foale</span> British-American astrophysicist and astronaut (born 1957)

Colin Michael Foale is a British-American astrophysicist and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of six space missions, and is the only NASA astronaut to have flown extended missions aboard both Mir and the International Space Station. He was the second Briton in space and the first to perform a space walk. Until 17 April 2008, he held the record for most time spent in space by a US citizen: 374 days, 11 hours, 19 minutes, and as of 2024 he held the cumulative-time-in-space record for a British citizen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet L. Kavandi</span> American astronaut (born 1959)

Janet Lynn Kavandi, a native of Carthage, Missouri, is an American scientist and a NASA astronaut. She is a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions, served as NASA's Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office, and was the Center Director at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio from March 2016 until her retirement from NASA in September 2019. She was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janice E. Voss</span> American astronaut and engineer (1956–2012)

Janice Elaine Voss was an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. Voss received her B.S. in engineering science from Purdue University, her M.S. in electrical engineering from MIT, and her PhD in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT. She flew in space five times, jointly holding the record for American women. Voss died in Arizona on February 6, 2012, from breast cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathryn D. Sullivan</span> American astronaut (born 1951)

Kathryn Dwyer Sullivan is an American geologist, oceanographer, and former NASA astronaut and US Navy officer. She was a crew member on three Space Shuttle missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Hartsfield</span> American astronaut (1933–2014)

Henry Warren Hartsfield Jr. was a United States Air Force Colonel and NASA astronaut who logged over 480 hours in space. He was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Coats</span> American aerospace engineer, test pilot, and astronaut (born 1946)

Michael Lloyd Coats is a former NASA astronaut, raised in Riverside, California. From December 2005 to December 2012, he served as Director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shannon Lucid</span> American biochemist and astronaut (born 1943)

Shannon Matilda Wells Lucid is an American biochemist and retired NASA astronaut. She has flown in space five times, including a prolonged mission aboard the Russian space station Mir in 1996, and is the only American woman to have stayed on Mir. From 1996 to 2007, Lucid held the record for the longest duration spent in space by an American and by a woman. She was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in December 1996, making her the tenth person and the first woman to be accorded the honor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard O. Covey</span> American astronaut (born 1946)

Richard Oswalt Covey is a retired United States Air Force officer, former NASA astronaut, and a member of the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Davis</span> American engineer and astronaut (born 1953)

Nancy Jan Davis is a former American astronaut. A veteran of three space flights, Davis logged over 673 hours in space. She is now retired from NASA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhea Seddon</span> American astronaut and physician (born 1947)

Margaret Rhea Seddon is an American surgeon and retired NASA astronaut. After being selected as part of the first group of astronauts to include women in 1978, she flew on three Space Shuttle flights: as a mission specialist on STS-51-D and STS-40, and as a payload commander for STS-58, accumulating over 722 hours in space. On these flights, she built repair tools for a US Navy satellite and performed medical experiments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen S. Baker</span> American physician and astronaut (born 1953)

Ellen Louise Shulman Baker is an American physician and a former NASA astronaut. Baker is a veteran of three shuttle flights and logged more than 686 hours in space. Baker served as Chief of the Education/Medical Branch of the NASA Astronaut Office until her retirement in 2011 after more than 30 years of service to NASA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Duffy (astronaut)</span> American astronaut and Air Force colonel (born 1953)

Brian Duffy is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and a former NASA astronaut. He flew aboard four Space Shuttle missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonnie J. Dunbar</span> American astronaut (born 1949)

Bonnie Jeanne Dunbar is an American engineer and retired NASA astronaut. She flew on five Space Shuttle missions between 1985 and 1998, including two dockings with the Mir space station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos I. Noriega</span> Peruvian-American astronaut (born 1959)

Carlos Ismael Noriega is a Peruvian-American NASA employee, a former NASA astronaut and a retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nitza Margarita Cintrón</span> Puerto Rican scientist

Nitza Margarita Cintrón is a Puerto Rican scientist and Chief of Space Medicine and Health Care Systems Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie Wilson</span> American astronaut and engineer (born 1966)

Stephanie Diana Wilson is an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. She flew to space onboard three Space Shuttle missions, and is the second African American woman to go into space, after Mae Jemison. As of 2022, her 42 days in space are the second most of any female African American astronaut, having been surpassed by Jessica Watkins in 2022, however in 2024 she was assigned to the Crew-9 mission during which she should retake the lead.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Astronaut Bio: Ellen Ochoa" (PDF). NASA. May 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Space Today Online – Man In Space Firsts – table of contents". www.spacetoday.org. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Ochoa Named Johnson Space Center Director: Coats to Retire". NASA. November 16, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Ellen Ochoa". NNDB. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  5. ↑ Hasday, Judy L. (2013). Ellen Ochoa. New York, NY. ISBN   978-1-4381-4611-9. OCLC   913784636.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. 1 2 3 4 Kelly, Kate (September 24, 2014). "Ellen Ochoa: First Latina Astronaut, Inventor and Now Director of "Mission Control"". Archived from the original on December 9, 2021.
  7. ↑ Iverson, Teresa (2006). Ellen Ochoa. Heinemann-Raintree Library.
  8. ↑ "CSU Alumni – Aerospace & Aviation – Ellen Ochoa". calstate.edu. Archived from the original on December 1, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  9. ↑ US 4674824,Goodman, Joseph W.; Hesselink, Lambertus& Ochoa, Ellen,"System for enhancement of optical features",published 1987-06-23, assigned to Stanford University
  10. ↑ US 4838644,Ochoa, Ellen; Schils, George F.& Sweeney, Donald W.,"Position, rotation, and intensity invariant recognizing method",published 1989-06-13, assigned to United States Department of Energy
  11. ↑ US 4949389,Allebach, Jan P.; Ochoa, Ellen& Sweeney, Donald W.,"Optical ranked-order filtering using threshold decomposition",published 1990-08-14, assigned to United States Department of Energy
  12. ↑ "Ellen Ochoa". smithsonianeducation.org. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  13. ↑ Ellis, Lee (2004). Who's who of NASA astronauts (1st ed.). Americana Group Pub. p. 140. ISBN   978-0966796148 . Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Guide to Hispanic Heritage". britannica.com.
  15. ↑ Curtis, Anthony R. "Space Today Online – Man In Space Firsts – table of contents". www.spacetoday.org.
  16. ↑ Delmore, Erin (December 12, 2019). "Ellen Ochoa, the first Latina to go to space: How to get more women into STEM". NBC News. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Spacefacts biography of Ellen Ochoa".
  18. ↑ "STS-107 Entry Timeline". spaceflightnow.com. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Ochoa Named Johnson Space Center Director". nasa.gov. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  20. 1 2 "National Science Board". National Science Board. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  21. 1 2 Canales, Christina (February 14, 2017). "NASA Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa to Be Inducted Into U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Release J17-001" . Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Ellen Ochoa". American Physical Society. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Honorary Doctorate Awarded to Ellen Ochoa". San Diego State University. October 3, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Ellen Ochoa Prep Academy". ochoaprep.erusd.org. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  25. ↑ Pickard, Arianna (July 27, 2017). "Union debuts 'community school' model with Ellen Ochoa Elementary". Tulsa World. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  26. ↑ https://passaicschools.org/school-no-22/
  27. ↑ "Ochoa Middle School". Ochoa Middle School. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Astronaut Ellen Ochoa becomes the first Hispanic woman in space". HISTORY. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  29. ↑ "U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & Gala" . Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Hispanic Executive's 2017 Best of the Boardroom". Hispanic Executive. Guerrero Media. April 25, 2017.
  31. ↑ "World's Most Prestigious Air & Space Hall of Fame to Enshrine Distinguished Class of 2018". San Diego Air & Space Museum. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  32. ↑ Gass, Jeanette. "Ellen Ochoa". Fellow members. Optica. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022.
  33. ↑ "Ready Jet Go!". Alabama Public Television. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  34. ↑ "President Biden Announces Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom". The White House. May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.