Ellen Ochoa

An active astronaut since 1991, Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the shuttle Discovery. In total, she has flown in space four times, logging nearly 1,000 hours, leading onboard scientific activities and serving as flight engineer during the launch, rendezvous, and entry phases of the mission. In 2013, Ochoa was named the 11th Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, becoming the first Hispanic and the second female director to hold this prestigious position; she retired in 2018.