On April 8, 1993, the space shuttle Discovery lifted off from
the Kennedy Space Center. On board is astronaut Ellen
Ochoa, soon to become the first Hispanic woman in space.
Ochoa started at NASA in 1988 after receiving a doctorate
in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
Two years later, she was selected as an astronaut. On her
first mission, Ochoa served as a Mission Specialist on a
9-day space flight, the primary mission of which was to
study Earth’s ozone layer.
She went on to fly three more space shuttle missions,
one of which conducted further atmospheric research
and two of which carried components to the International
Space Station.
Over the course of her four flights, Ochoa compiled a
total time of 40 days, 19 hours, and 35 minutes in space.
Ellen Ochoa will be 68 in May.
