Ellen Ochoa

Ellen Ochoa became the first Latina to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1993. She has flown on four missions, spending a total of 41 days in space. She completed her 30-year career at NASA by serving as the 11th Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX and is honored to have seven schools named after her. Now living in Boise, ID with her husband and dog Felix, with their two grown sons nearby, she continues to be an ambassador for science and engineering education, especially engaging kids and adults from groups who are underrepresented in those fields.