Dr. Ellen Ochoa
October 2, 2022
Today we are celebrating the iconic Dr. Ellen Ochoa. She is an American engineer, former astronaut and former director of the Johnson Space Center.
Dr. Ochoa was born in La Mesa, California as a second generation Mexican American. She received her bachelor’s from San Diego State University, and her master’s and doctorate from Stanford. In 1993, Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Ochoa became director of the center upon the retirement of the previous director, Michael Coats, on December 31, 2012. She was the first Hispanic director and the second female director of Johnson Space Center.
