SISTERHOOD OF SPACE
UC San Diego is a force in shaping astronauts — in fact , one-quarter of NASA ’ s current roster of 12 female astronauts are UC San Diego alumnae :
a lot of mental fortitude just to get to the work site . Some days you may be just shoveling snow or repairing something because a big storm came and you can ’ t do any science . But I really like extreme environments like that — places where fewer people have been , where conditions are a little bit more harsh , where you need to use your brain and your body to accomplish something .
“ UC San Diego and Scripps are powerhouse institutions when it comes to research ,” says Meir , “ but I think Scripps in particular attracts this kind of explorer-type background and personality . When you ’ re here , you have to have an operational aptitude in addition to the scientific , because it ’ s what the projects require . That kind of challenge is really the epitome of the mental and physical combination that I find so fulfilling in my work .”
K . Megan McArthur , PhD ’ 02
12 DAYS IN SPACE → In 2009 , SIO graduate McArthur was a member of the final mission aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis to service the Hubble Space Telescope . McArthur served as flight engineer , using the shuttle ’ s robotic arm to retrieve the telescope and place it in the shuttle ’ s cargo bay , where spacewalkers overcame frozen bolts , stripped screws and stuck handrails to refurbish the telescope , which is still in operation today . McArthur is now deputy chief of the Astronaut Office , providing support to crews in training and aboard the ISS .
Jessica Meir , PhD ’ 09
105 DAYS IN SPACE ( AND COUNTING ) 7 HRS , 17 MIN ON SPACEWALK ( SO FAR ) → A marine biologist and SIO graduate , Meir became the third alumna in space this past September . A dual citizen of the U . S . and Sweden , she is the first Swedish woman in space , and on October 18 , took part in the first all-female spacewalk with Christina Koch to perform station maintenance . “ What we ' re doing now shows all the work that went in for the decades prior , all of the women who worked to get us where we are today .”
Kate Rubins ’ 99
115 DAYS IN SPACE 12 HRS , 46 MIN ON SPACEWALK → Rubins , an accomplished microbiologist and Revelle College graduate , was selected as a flight engineer for Expedition 48 / 49 to the ISS , where she became the first person to sequence DNA in microgravity . Over two spacewalks , Rubins installed a docking port for U . S . commercial crew spacecraft , performed station maintenance and installed high-definition cameras , enabling never-before-seen images of the planet Earth and space station . Rubins served as NASA ’ s director of operations for Meir ’ s space launch .
Sally Ride
→ Though not an alumna , UC San Diego faculty emeritus Sally Ride was the first American woman in space and , at 32 , the youngest American astronaut ever . She was a UC San Diego physics professor from 1989 to 2007 , before her death in 2012 . Her legacy continues in Sally Ride Science at UC San Diego , a nonprofit devoted to inspiring youth in science , technology , engineering and math ( STEM ) via educational camps and community outreach . Learn more at sallyridescience . ucsd . edu
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