Ellen Ochoa, renowned as both an astronaut and an administrator, holds the distinction of being the inaugural Hispanic woman to voyage into space in 1993.
Later, she took on the role of director at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, leading from 2013 through 2018.
Graduating from Stanford University, she gained both a master’s and a doctorate in electrical engineering. Ochoa then embarked on a career as a research engineer, marking notable achievements in the progression of optical systems.
She was chosen for the NASA astronaut program in 1990 and served as a mission specialist three years later on the STS-56 mission.
The focus of this mission was understanding the interaction between the Sun and Earth’s atmosphere.
Further missions included STS-66 and STS-96, both contributing to our knowledge of the atmosphere and aiding in the construction of the International Space Station.
Throughout her four space journeys, Ochoa logged over 40 days in the cosmos.
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Subsequently, she was appointed as the deputy director and then ascended to director of the Johnson Space Center, overseeing significant projects such as the Orion spacecraft.
Upon retirement in 2018, Ochoa transitioned to the National Science Board, initially as vice chair and eventually assuming the role of chair.
Here is a compilation of Ellen Ochoa quotes.
Best Ellen Ochoa Quotes
1. “Education is what allows you to stand out.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
2. “Don’t be afraid to reach for the stars.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
3. “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 voyage of discovery.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
4. “I feel very privileged. But what I really hope for young people is that they find a career they’re passionate about, something that’s challenging and worthwhile.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
5. “Usually, girls weren’t encouraged to go to college and major in math and science. My high school calculus teacher, Ms. Paz Jensen, made math appealing and motivated me to continue studying it in college.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
6. “A hallmark of the Latino community is to help one another, if students are interested in a way to give back and help their communities, becoming a teacher is probably one of the very best ways of doing that.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
7. “I tell students that the opportunities I had were a result of having a good educational background. Education is what allows you to stand out.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
8. “Astronauts are very professional and when they’re preparing for launch, they prepare for it as the most serious endeavor of our lives.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
Popular Ellen Ochoa Quotes
9. “That’s what we want to do here at Johnson Space Center. I think what we have always brought to NASA and brought to the country is trying to push the boundaries, trying to go to the next level.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
10. “Well, with so many space shuttle missions that we’ve done, I think it’s just sort of natural that each one hasn’t necessarily gotten the attention that the early ones did.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
11. “We are constantly emphasizing to people that they need to address anything that affects flight safety or mission success – many pathways to do that. We need to understand better what may be preventing people from using those pathways.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
12. “It’s fun to work the robotic arm in part because it’s really a team effort.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
13. “There was a lot of light and a lot of rumbling and vibration, especially the first minute or minute-and-a-half. And then after about two minutes, when the solid rocket boosters separated, the ride got a lot smoother.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
14. “I’ll tell you, being involved in human space flight, it is an emotional endeavor. I think it brings in the highest highs and the lowest lows.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
Top Ellen Ochoa Quotes
15. “I think of it as a good opportunity to let, in particular, school kids know that this job and other interesting jobs in science and engineering are open to anyone who works hard in school and gets a good education and studies math and science. And that it’s not just for a select group of people.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
16. “We are involved in technology development for, you know, missions that we hope to plan that would take us to an asteroid and eventually to Mars.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
17. “I was always drawn to teachers who made class interesting. In high school, I enjoyed my American and English literature classes because my teachers, Jeanne Dorsey and Dani Barton, created an environment where interaction was important.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
18. “I don’t know of any issues associated with alcohol before flight.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
19. “I don’t recall any interest in science in particular. It came later in college.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
20. “I realized how important it was to know something about aviation, and it was something I was interested in, so I followed my brother’s footsteps and obtained my pilot’s license.” ~ (Ellen Ochoa).
