SAN ANTONIO – For Women’s History Month KSAT 12 is sharing the story of Ellen Ochoa, the first Latina astronaut to go to space.
Ochoa spent nearly 1,000 hours in space from 1993 to 2002. KSAT 12 got the chance to ask her to describe the day when she flew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1993.
“It was something I’d been dreaming about for a while. So, it was definitely exciting for the day to come,” Ochoa said.
Ochoa became the first Latina astronaut during that flight aboard the STS-56 Space Shuttle Discovery.
“Our primary objective on that flight was studying the earth’s atmosphere and particularly the problem of the ozone hole and the ozone depletion,” Ochoa said.
Ochoa even took time out of her busy day in space to play the flute.
“One of the things we were doing was shooting a video, part of a liftoff to learning series that NASA had at that time and this was geared at kindergarteners through second graders, kind of comparing a day in space with, a day they might be familiar with, on earth. And so, we did talk a little bit about hobbies and so I was able to take up my flute and play a little bit, as for part of that video,” Ochoa said.
Ochoa went on to participate in three more missions.
“In addition to supporting NASA’s human spaceflight goals, I did have this opportunity now that really opened up, to be able to do outreach, to reach out to lots of different kinds of audiences. But of course, a lot of them were focused on people or students who are not well represented in STEM, whether that’s women or people of Hispanic background or other groups, who are underrepresented in STEM,” Ochoa said.
Ochoa grew up in California and her dad’s parents were from Mexico.
“My dad’s parents were Mexican and after they had gotten married and started a family, that’s when they immigrated to the United States. First to Arizona and then to California. That’s where my dad was born because he was the youngest of the 12 children that they had. It’s a background where, I think, at the time, my dad and his older brothers, sisters were growing up, it certainly not only wasn’t encouraged to speak Spanish, but was actually pretty discouraged. And certainly, they faced other obstacles as well. So, it’s nice to be able to play a role now, especially with students out there who are also of Hispanic background to show, you know, that the sky’s the limit. Or maybe the sky’s not the limit, right? Because, space,” Ochoa said.
In 2013, Ochoa became the 11th director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. She was the second female and first Latina to assume the position.
She shares a message for women and young girls.
“I think it’s important to set high goals for yourself and not to limit them based on what you might hear from people again, who don’t know you, who don’t know what kind of qualities you have,” Ochoa said. “A willingness to ask questions and to learn, you know, that is what is important.”
Ochoa continues her passion for STEM and wrote a bilingual children’s book titled “We Are All Scientist” in a series introducing STEM topics.