We wrote the biography of Ellen Ochoa, a veteran astronaut who did not grow up with any dreams about the space program but was selected for four space flights and has almost a thousand flight hours.
Her full name is Ellen Lauri Ochoa, she was born on May 10, 1958 in Los Angeles, California. She was born to Joseph Ochoa, whose father served in the Navy and was a retail store manager, and Rosanne Deardorff Ochoa, whose mother was a housewife. Growing up in La Mesa, California, Ochoa was the middle child of her parents' five children. Ochoa, who loved to read as a child, her favorite subject at school was mathematics.
Ochoa graduated from Grossmont High School in El Cajon in 1975, while her parents decided to divorce while she was studying in high school. Later, she started living with her mother and brothers. Ochoa then earned a bachelor's degree in physics from San Diego State University to stay close to her family, graduating from Phi Beta Kappa in 1980. She later earned a master's degree in 1981 and a doctoral degree in 1985 from the Stanford Department of Electrical Engineering she. Discovering that she loved physics, mathematics and engineering during her time at the university, Ochoa decided to specialize in physics.
Working as a doctoral student and later as a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories and NASA Ames Research Center, Ochoa explored optical systems to perform information processing. Applying her knowledge of optics in laboratories to research on nuclear weapons, Ochoa led a research group at NASA that primarily worked on optical systems. Ochoa, who also patented an optical system, is also the co-inventor of three more patents. These; an optical inspection system, an optical object recognition method and image noise removal method.
Taken by optical systems, Ochoa devoted herself to developing her applications to realize information processing. Later, NASA thought that Ochoa's methods in optics could be used in other places. So she realized that these methods could be used in manufacturing, such as examining defects, or could be used in a spacecraft.
In the 1980s, NASA's focus shifted to more scientific work on landing on the moon. The primary goal of astronauts was to conduct research that can only be done in space, and this has been an exciting opportunity for scientists like Ochoa. For Ochoa, she was inspired to see the success of the first American woman in space in 1983, in another woman.
Dr. Ochoa, who received her doctoral degree in 1985, sent an application for the NASA Astronaut program. The application was evaluated during the 1987 selection process and was not selected. Keeping her application up to date, Ochoa continued to work on optical systems for space travel. She also obtained a pilot's license to gain operational experience and fly small aircraft. In the process of the next election, she was selected as part of the 1990 astronaut class and called for re-interview. Selected by NASA in January 1990, Ochoa became an astronaut in July 1991. She also won the National Hispanic Centennial Commission Honor Award in 1990. It won the Group Achievement Award for Photonics Technology from NASA in 1991.
Ochoa took part in many technical assignments in the Astronaut Office. Among them; Served as crew representative for flight software, computer hardware, and robotics, Space Station Assistant to the Chief of the Astronaut Office, spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) leader in Mission Control, and Vice President of the Astronaut Office.
NASA selected Ochoa to participate in its first space mission in 1993. Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman to go into space, taking part in a nine-day mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. The goal of the team's mission was to make independent solar observations to measure solar output and determine how solar wind is produced. It was a forty-eight hour observation. Ochoa, who was involved as a mission specialist, had a specific job. This mission was supposed to launch a satellite into space and then send it back to the shuttle two days later. Ochoa, who was part of the five-man crew that made 148 orbits of the Earth, was the only female member of the group. After her first successful mission, she continued her work on optics and software development for NASA. The mission of Ochoa and the group, which embarked on a second mission into space in November 1994, was to study how the sun affects Earth's environment and climate. This was an eight-day observation. Won the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Engineering Achievement Award in 1994 she.
Ochoa, who made her third space journey in 1999, this time was to place a spacecraft on the International Space Station (ISS). Ochoa, who took a space mission again in 2002, took part this time as a flight engineer. So Ochoa made four spaceflights and recorded nearly 1,000 hours in space.
Continuing to work for NASA and retiring from spacecraft operations from 2007, Ochoa served as deputy director of the Johnson Space Center. She then helped direct and lead the Astronaut Office and Aircraft Operations. Promoted to director of the center in 2013, Ochoa became director of Latinx and the first Hispanic and second female director to hold the position.
Ochoa, who left NASA in 2018, has been chair of the National Science Board since 2020.
Personal life
Ochoa is married to Coe Miles, an intellectual property lawyer. The couple has two sons. Ochoa lives with her family in Texas. A classical flutist, Ochoa played with the Stanford Symphony Orchestra. She also once won the Student Soloist Award she. As an undergraduate at San Diego State University, Ochoa played the flute for two years as part of the university brass band, and for five years as a member of the university wind ensemble. She took a flute with her on her first trip to space, as she loved music and musical instruments. Ochoa's hobbies include sports as well as music.
Ochoa has received many awards for her work and space travel. Among them; NASA's Distinguished Service Medal(2015), Exceptional Service Medal(1997), Distinguished Leadership Medal(1995), and Spaceflight Medals(2002, 1999, 1994, 1993). Additionally, she was crowned by Hispanic magazine with the 1991 Hispanic Achievement Science Award and the 1993 Congressional Hispanic Caucasian Medal of Excellence Role Model Award.
Ochoa and astronaut Michael Foale were inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame class of 2017. Ochoa received an award in the "Hispanic Executive's 2017 Best of the Boardroom" issue for her work as chairman of the board at Johnson Space Center. The following year, the 2018 International Air and Space Hall of Fame was also included.