Life Story: Ellen Ochoa
Ellen Ochoa
Portrait of NASA Astronaut Ellen Ochoa wearing a blue flight suit, January 10, 1997.
NASA on The Commons, via flickr.
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Ellen Ochoa in the aft flight deck
STS056-04-008 – STS-056 – Crewmember in the aft flight deck, April 17, 1993. National
Aeronautics and Space Administration. Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center/National
Archives.
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Astronaut Ellen Ochoa carries her son Wilson
NASA Johnson, Astronaut Ellen Ochoa, mission specialist, carries her son Wilson
Miles-Ochoa following the STS-96 crew return at Ellington Field, June 7, 1999. NASA
Johnson, on flickr.
Ellen Ochoa was born in Los Angeles, California, on May 10, 1958. She
was the middle of five children to Joseph and Rosanne Ochoa. They
raised their family in La Mesa, California.
Joseph was the son of Mexican immigrants and grew up speaking
both English and Spanish. He experienced discrimination as a child
and wanted to protect his own children, so he decided Ellen and her
siblings would not learn to speak Spanish.
Rosanne only had a high school diploma when she started her
family. However, she highly valued education and started college
when Ellen was still a baby so she could set a good example for her
children.
As a child, Ellen loved to read and her favorite subject in school was
math. She excelled in school and won her county’s spelling bee at
the age of 13. Ellen was also interested in music and started playing
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the age of 13. Ellen was also interested in music and started playing
the flute when she was 10 years old.
Joseph and Rosanne divorced when Ellen was in middle school. She
put all her energy into school and music to keep herself occupied
during this emotionally difficult time.
Ellen graduated from high school in 1975 and was her class
valedictorian. Stanford University offered her a full scholarship
because of her high grades, but she turned it down. Ellen wanted to
stay close to her family and attended San Diego State University.
Ellen wanted to study engineering in college, but since there were
not many female engineers, professors encouraged her to study
physics instead. Once again, Ellen excelled in school, and she was the
valedictorian of her college class when she graduated in 1980.
It was difficult for Ellen to decide on a career path. She did well in
science, but also still loved music. During college, she continued to
play the flute. Ellen decided she wanted to keep learning and
pursued a master’s degree in engineering at Stanford University on a
full scholarship. She was one of only a few women in her program,
but she found a mentor in one of her professors, Joseph Goodman.
He studied optics and inspired Ellen to enroll in a doctorate program
after receiving her master’s in 1981.
Ellen worked with two professors on developing a new optical
inspection system that made it easier to identify mistakes in
repeating patterns. They received a patent for this system. Ellen went
on to obtain two more patents in optics.
By the 1980s, the focus of NASA had shifted from moon landings to
scientific study. Astronauts’ primary goal was to conduct research
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scientific study. Astronauts’ primary goal was to conduct research
that could only be done in space. This was an exciting opportunity for
scientists like Ellen.
On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride was the first American woman to go into
space. To see another woman achieve this accomplishment was an
inspiration for Ellen. Along with some of her classmates, she applied
to the NASA Astronaut Training Program in 1985, the same year she
received her doctoral degree.
NASA selects a small group of people to train to become astronauts.
They need to have at least a bachelor’s degree in a science field, but
most astronauts have advanced degrees. Applicants also need to
pass physical and psychological tests. Ellen was not accepted when
she first applied, but she continued to chase her dream of going into
space.
Ellen got a research job at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore,
California after she received her doctorate. She continued to work on
optical systems for space travel. Her work on computers and
information processing helped develop computer systems for space
travel. Outside of work, she obtained a pilot’s license to fly small
planes.
Another opportunity with NASA came in 1987. Ellen applied again
and was among the top 100 out of thousands of applications.
Unfortunately, she was not chosen to train as an astronaut.
The following year, Ellen got a new job at the NASA Ames Research
Center in California. Working for NASA got her one step closer to her
goal of going into space. Ellen was promoted after a few months to
chief of the Intelligent Systems Technology Division. In this new role
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chief of the Intelligent Systems Technology Division. In this new role
she was responsible for overseeing a team of 35 scientists.
Ellen met Coe Fulmer Miles while working at the Ames Research
Center. He was also a research scientist at NASA. They grew close and
married in 1990.
NASA accepted new applications for astronaut training in 1990. Ellen
decided to apply again, along with 2,000 other hopefuls. This time,
she was selected to start the training program to go into space. Ellen
and Coe moved to Houston, Texas, for her to attend astronaut
training at the Johnson Space Center.
Ellen had already studied physics and engineering for many years,
but to become an astronaut she had to learn about other scientific
fields, such as astronomy. Astronauts also need to be in excellent
physical shape and acquire survival skills in case of an emergency.
On July 11, 1991, Ellen officially became an astronaut after she passed
all sections of the training program. She still had to wait until she was
selected to go into space. In the meantime, she continued her optics
research for NASA.
“What everyone in the astronaut
corps shares in common is not
gender or ethnic background, but
motivation, perseverance, and desire
– the desire to participate in a
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– the desire to participate in a
voyage of discovery.”
NASA chose Ellen to join her first space mission on April 8, 1993. She
was the first Latina to go into space. She and her four fellow crew
members spent nine days on their mission aboard the space shuttle
Discovery. The team researched the effects of the sun on the
environment of Earth. As a mission specialist, Ellen had a specific job.
She had to launch a satellite into space and then return it to the
shuttle two days later.
After her first successful mission in space, Ellen continued to work for
NASA on optics and software development. She went on a second
mission into space in November 1994, spending eight days studying
damage to the ozone layer.
Ellen gave birth to her first child, Wilson, in 1998. A year later, she took
her third trip into space. This time, her mission was to dock a
spacecraft on the International Space Station (ISS). She delivered
supplies for the astronauts who were stationed at the ISS for an
extended period of time.
After giving birth to another son, Ellen went to space once more in
2002. She continued to work for NASA, becoming the deputy director
of the Johnson Space Center in 2007. Ellen was promoted to director
of the center in 2013. She was the first Latinx director and the second
woman to hold the position. In 2018, she left NASA to join the
National Science Board, where she has served as its chair since 2020.
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Vocabulary
chair: A person in charge of an organization.
mission specialist: A crew member of a space shuttle who is
responsible for carrying out payload operations.
optics: The study of vision and light.
ozone layer: The layer of Earth’s atmosphere that provides
protection from harmful radiation of the sun.
valedictorian: The student with the highest grade of a class.
They usually give a speech at the graduation ceremony.
Discussion Questions
How did Ellen Ochoa become an astronaut? What
requirements did she have to meet?
What field of science did Ellen Ochoa study? Why
was this field important in space exploration?
What challenges did Ellen Ochoa face in her career
as a woman in a male-dominated field? What
challenges did she face as a Latina in a white-
dominated field?
Suggested Activities
APUSH Connection: 9.6: Challenges of the 21st Century
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APUSH Connection: 9.6: Challenges of the 21st Century
Pair this resource with materials from the Teacher in Space
program to explore the work of women in space exploration.
Consider the challenges female scientists faced in male-dominated
fields by teaching this life story alongside the life stories of Sandra
Kurtzig and Ann Bancroft.
For a larger lesson on the experiences of Latina women during this
period, combine this life story with materials by Latina
environmental activists and the life story of Maria Connie Villescas.
Themes
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND MEDICINE
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