Ellen Ochoa

Born on 10 May 1958 in Los Angeles, Ellen Ochoa is a physicist, engineer, and former astronaut who served as director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. She was the first Hispanic woman to go to space. Ochoa earned her bachelor’s in physics from San Diego State University and her PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University. She started out researching optical systems for information processing at Sandia National Laboratories and NASA Ames Research Center. In 1990 Ochoa was selected as an astronaut by NASA. Three years later, she served as mission specialist on space shuttle Discovery. She logged nearly 1000 hours in space aboard four missions. Ochoa continued working at Johnson Space Center after leaving the astronaut corps, and in 2013 she assumed the role of director, a position she held until she retired in 2018. She was selected in 2017 for entry into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame. (Photo credit: NASA)

Date in History: 10 May 1958