Ellen Ochoa was the first Hispanic-American female astronaut. She flew on four space shuttle missions. In 1993, Ochoa made her first trip into space. She flew aboard the shuttle Discovery. Its mission was to study the effects of solar activity on Earth's atmosphere. As part of the study, Ochoa released a research satellite using the shuttle's robotic arm. Her next spaceflight was aboard Atlantis in 1994. This time, she used the robotic arm to retrieve a research satellite. Ochoa participated in Discovery's mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in 1999. She returned to the ISS on Atlantis in 2002. During these missions, Ochoa logged nearly 1,000 hours in space. Ochoa is a private pilot. And she is a classical flutist. She even played her flute aboard the space shuttle. Ochoa often travels to schools to speak to students about her experiences in space. She encourages them to set big goals. "Don't be afraid to reach for the stars," she says. "I believe a good education can take you anywhere on Earth and beyond." Source: Scholastic
These books are available from the Mercer Country Library:
Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice by Nikki Grimes
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown
Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment by Parker Curry
I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty
Under My Hijab by Hena Khan
Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx by Jonah Winter
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel
Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World by Susan Hood
She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton
Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o
Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating
Mae among the Stars by Roda Ahmed
Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell by Tanya Lee Stone
Harlem’s Little Blackbird by Renee Watson
Just Like Beverly by Vicki Conrad
Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai
Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika Denise
Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos by Monica Brown
Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph became the World's Fastest
Woman by Kathleen Krull
The Girl Who Thought in Pictures by Julia Finley Mosca
Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa by Veronica Chambers
A Computer Called Katherine by Suzanne Slade
A Is for Awesome: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World by Eva Chen
Gloria Takes a Stand by Jessica M. Rinker
I Am Sonia Sotomayor by Brad Meltzer
Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge by Rachel Dougherty
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford
Here Come the Girl Scouts! by Shana Corey
Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers by Sarah E. Casilla Warren
Buffalo Bird Girl by S. D. Nelson
Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity by Sarah J. S. Suzuki
The Youngest Marcher by Cynthia Levinson
Red Bird Sings by Gina Capaldi
Who Says Women Can't Be Computer Programmers?: The Story of Ada Lovelace by Tanya Lee Stone