The Story of
Ellen Ochoa
"Don't be afraid to reach for the stars."
Born in 1958, Dr. Ellen Ochoa became the first hispanic woman in space in 1993, when she served on a nine-day missions aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. She went on to be a part of three more such space missions and has served as the Director of NASA's Johnson Space Centre. She has been a successful researcher in the field of Optics, an accomplished inventor with several patents to her name, and a classical flutist.
1993, Ellen Ochoa became the first Hispanic female astronaut. Her first mission was a nine-day mission aboard the Discovery space shuttle and the purpose of this mission was to study the Earth’s ozone layer. Over the span of her career, Ochoa served on four space missions and has logged over 1000 hours in space.
With a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford, during each of these missions, Ellen used her physics and engineering knowledge to study different things ranging from atmospheric changes to space station design.
"I am committed to space flight, human exploration, learning how to do more and more. I like the fact that it is much bigger than myself, important to my country and to the world. I like being able to contribute in this way."
After her last mission in space in 2002, Dr. Ochoa continued her voyage to explore the space from here, on Earth. Since 2012, she has served as the 11th director of Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas.
Ochoa is the recipient of many awards including NASA's highest award, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Presidential Distinguished Rank of the Senior Executive Service, and three honorary doctorates. She is in the Astronaut Hall of Fame and the International Air & Space Hall of Fame, and is has six schools named after her.
In an interview, she said, “I was 11 when they landed on moon, and of course, the whole world was watching that. But, I can tell you, at that time, nobody ever asked a girl ‘is that something you want to grow up and do?’”
Dr. Ochoa believes in the power of STEM education and believes that not only do we need to attract women to STEM, but retain them in this field. As the director of the Johnson Space Centre, she has worked towards a more inclusive and supportive culture and environment in the space industry.