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Interviews

Viewing Earth from Space with Ellen Ochoa

Viewing Earth from Space with Ellen Ochoa

She was the first Hispanic woman who went to space, and today Dr. Ellen Ochoa spoke with Sharon about her time and experience working with NASA. Ellen flew in space on four different occasions, and after her career as an active astronaut, she became the director of the Johnson Space Center. Listen in to Ellen’s story, and why, in her retirement from NASA, she continues to encourage women, Hispanics, and other underrepresented groups to pursue leadership and STEAM roles.

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  • Host: Sharon McMahon
  • Executive Producer: Heather Jackson
  • Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder
  • Writers and Researchers: Sharon McMahon, Valerie Hoback

Guests

Guests

Dr. Ellen Ochoa

Dr. Ellen Ochoa, a veteran astronaut, was the 11th director of the Johnson Space Center. She was JSC's first Hispanic director, and its second female director. Her previous management roles include Deputy Center Director and Director of Flight Crew Operations.

Ochoa joined NASA in 1988 as a research engineer at Ames Research Center and moved to Johnson Space Center in 1990 when she was selected as an astronaut. She became the first Hispanic woman to go to space when she served on the nine-day STS-56 mission aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1993. She has flown in space four times, including STS-66, STS-96 and STS-110, logging nearly 1,000 hours in orbit.