1. Ellen Ochoa was born on May 10,1958 and is an American engineer, former astronaut and former director of the Johnson Space Center.
27 Facts About Ellen Ochoa
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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.
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Ellen Ochoa became director of the center upon the retirement of the previous director, Michael Coats, on December 31,2012.
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Ellen Ochoa was the first Latina director and the second female director of Johnson Space Center.
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Ellen Lauri Ochoa was born on May 10,1958, in Los Angeles, California, to Joseph and Rosanne Ochoa.
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Ellen Ochoa was the middle child of five and neither parent had college degrees.
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Ellen Ochoa graduated from Grossmont High School in El Cajon in 1975.
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Ellen Ochoa's parents divorced when she was in high school and she lived with her mother and her brothers.
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Ellen 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.
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Ellen Ochoa had three patents for her work in optical systems.
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Ellen Ochoa was enticed by optical systems and committed to improving its applications for performing information processing.
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Ellen Ochoa was selected as part of the 1990 class of astronauts.
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Ellen Ochoa was selected by NASA in January 1990 and became an astronaut in July 1991.
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Ellen Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1993.
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Ellen Ochoa was a mission specialist on STS-56, was payload commander on STS-66, and was mission specialist and flight engineer on STS-96 and STS-110 in 2002.
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Ellen Ochoa's 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.
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Ellen Ochoa was in Mission Control during the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and was one of the first personnel informed of television coverage showing Columbias disintegration.
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From 2007, after retiring from spacecraft operations, Ellen Ochoa served as deputy director of NASA's Johnson Space Center, helping to manage and direct the Astronaut Office and Aircraft Operations.
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On January 1,2013, Ellen Ochoa became the first Hispanic and second female director of the Johnson Space Center.
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Ellen Ochoa is a classical flutist and played with the Stanford Symphony Orchestra, once receiving the Student Soloist Award.
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Ellen Ochoa took a flute with her on her first mission to space.
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Ellen Ochoa returned the flag to the school when she visited as a special guest at the 2002 dedication and it remains on permanent display.
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Ellen Ochoa has received many awards among which are NASA's Distinguished Service Medal, Exceptional Service Medal, Outstanding Leadership Medal and Space Flight Medals.
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Ellen Ochoa was recognized in Hispanic Executive's 2017 Best of the Boardroom issue for her work as a board director for Johnson Space Center.
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Ellen Ochoa was inducted into the 2018 International Air and Space Hall of Fame class.
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Ellen Ochoa is a Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the National Academy of Inventors, and Optica.
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In 2024, Ellen Ochoa was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden.