Apr 17, 2012
— read in fullFamous scientists: Ellen Ochoa
Who is she?
She was awarded a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1985.
As a pioneer of spacecraft technology, Ellen is the co-inventor of three patents. The patented systems are all designed to improve automated space exploration, to make it possible for robots to help us discover space. Ochoa has presented numerous papers at technical conferences and in scientific journals.
Ochoa was selected by NASA in January 1990 and she became the first Hispanic woman in space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the shuttle Discovery in 1993. The astronauts were studying the earth's ozone layer. A veteran of four Space flights, Ochoa has logged over 978 hours in space – that’s more than 40 days!
Ellen's dream is to help build a Space Station, which she says is "critical… to human exploration in space, a transportation mode to new frontiers." Read more about the International Space Station on NASA's website.
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