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Ellen Ochoa Facts & Worksheets

Ellen Ochoa is an American astronaut and administrator who was the first Hispanic woman to travel into space in 1993.

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Ellen Ochoa is an American astronaut and administrator who was the first Hispanic woman to travel into space in 1993.

See the fact file below for more information on the Ellen Ochoa or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Ellen Ochoa worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EDUCATION AND EARLY CAREER

  • Ellen Lauri Ochoa was born on May 10, 1958 in Los Angeles, California, to Joseph and Rosanne Ochoa.
  • She received a bachelor of science degree in physics from San Diego State University and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1980.
  • She then earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering at Stanford University in 1981 and eventually her doctorate in 1985.
  • She then applied to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to enter its astronaut program.
  • Though she went through the application process to become an astronaut, Ochoa conducted research in optical information systems and looked for ways to use lasers, holograms, and similar devices to process images.
  • Later, she patented an optical system to detect imperfections in a repeating pattern and for the recognition of objects and was a co-inventor on three patents for an optical inspection system.

NASA CAREER

  • Ellen Ochoa applied for the NASA Astronaut Program in 1985 and 1987 but was not admitted. Eventually, she was selected in 1990 to participate and became the first Hispanic female astronaut when she completed her training in 1991.
  • In April 1993, Ochoa served as mission specialist aboard the STS-56 mission of the space shuttle Discovery. She became the first Latina to be launched into space.
  • On this mission, the crew studied solar and atmospheric conditions. Dr. Ochoa controlled the Remote Manipulator System or giant robot arm that launched and caught the satellite.
  • Her crew also released the SPARTAN satellite, which studied the solar wind for two days.
  • Her next spaceflight was aboard STS-66 Atlantis mission in November, 1994. This time, she used the robotic arm to retrieve a research satellite.
  • In May 1999, she was part of the Discovery STS-96 crew that executed the first docking to the International Space Station (ISS) to get it ready for astronauts.
  • She assisted two astronauts on an eight-hour space walk to install cranes attached to the station exterior to be used in building the rest of the station.
  • Ochoa returned to the ISS in April 2002 on the STS-110 mission of the shuttle Atlantis.
  • Her task was to lift the station’s robotic arm to truss out of Atlantis’s payload bay and attach it to the station.
  • During these missions, Ochoa logged nearly 1,000 hours of more than 40 days in space.
  • After her last space mission, Ellen moved on to working on space exploration from Earth at the Johnson Space Center.

LIFE AFTER SPACE

  • From 2002 to 2012, Dr. Ellen Ochoa served as the Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
  • She then became the Director of the Johnson Space Center. She was the JSC’s first Hispanic director, and its second female director.
  • During her tenure, she oversaw work on the Orion spacecraft, which was scheduled to travel farther than other crewed spacecraft.
  • This was a project allowing human exploration of far destinations like Mars.
  • Ochoa eventually retired from the Johnson Space Center in 2018 and became vice chair of the National Science Board, which runs the National Science Foundation.
  • She also chaired the committee that evaluates nominations for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
  • Ochoa retired from the center early in 2019, completing a 30-year career with NASA.

LEGACY AND OTHER ENDEAVORS

  • In addition to her own doctorate, Dr. Ochoa received honorary awards from the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
  • Ochoa was also recognized with the Distinguished Service Medal, NASA’s highest award. Further, she received the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award for senior executives in the federal government.
  • Many other awards were presented after her illustrious career, and she had six schools named for her.
  • She is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
  • Ochoa is currently serving as a trustee on their board and sits on the National Science Board to her alma mater, Stanford, until 2022.
  • Besides her interest in the scientific field, she also plays volleyball, is a classical flutist and was a Student Soloist Awardee of the Stanford Symphony Orchestra.

Ellen Ochoa Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Ellen Ochoa across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Ellen Ochoa worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Ellen Ochoa who is an American astronaut and administrator who was the first Hispanic woman to travel into space in 1993.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Ellen Ochoa Facts
  • First Women in Space
  • Becoming an Astronaut
  • Ellen’s Timeline
  • Making History in Space
  • Working in Space Agencies
  • What’s in Space?
  • Space Truth
  • Space Machines
  • Future of Space Exploration
  • Space Wordsearch

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Use With Any Curriculum

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