Ellen Ochoa

Dr. Ellen Ochoa

Hidden Hero of History

Dorktales Podcast: Episode 103

Blast off into the story of Dr. Ellen Ochoa, a trailblazer in space exploration! As an astronaut, engineer, scientist, inventor, and the first Latina woman to journey into space, Dr. Ochoa broke barriers and reached for the stars—literally. During four missions, she spent nearly 1,000 hours in orbit. She studied Earth’s atmosphere, mastered robotic technology, and contributed to the creation of the International Space Station. Her groundbreaking work didn’t stop there—Dr. Ochoa later became the deputy director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, paving the way for future generations to explore the cosmos and make their mark on humanity’s greatest frontier.

Did You Know?

Dr. Ellen Ochoa was an astronaut, engineer, scientist, the Deputy Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and the first Latina woman to go to space.  

Dr. Ellen Ochoa grew up in a town called La Mesa, California. She wasn’t really into science as a kid but she did love reading, playing the flute, and math. She was also an excellent student. 

When she was 11 years old, astronauts landed on the moon for the very first time. She was fascinated just like everybody else in the world, but she never thought she could be an astronaut because, at the time, they were all men. It was hard for her to imagine that a little girl like her could grow up and go to space. 

Dr. Ochoa kept to her studies at school and by the time she graduated, she had the highest grades and was named Valedictorian of her class. She went on to San Diego State University to major in physics, which is the study of the physical world around us. Ellen learned about things like how sound, heat, and light travels, and the tiny atoms that make up the universe. 

She continued her education at Stanford University where she achieved advanced degrees—a Master’s and a doctorate—in electrical engineering. While she was working hard on her doctorate, a woman named Dr. Sally Ride became the first American woman to go to space. 

Sally went to Stanford and studied physics, just like Ellen. Having these similarities convinced Ellen that she could also go to space one day. She joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, as a research engineer, and in 1985, she applied to become an astronaut.

It took Ellen two years to get an interview, and she wasn’t selected to be a part of the astronaut program. She didn’t give up, deciding to boost her chances of being admitted by getting her pilot’s license. When she reapplied a few years later, she got in!

Going into space is serious business, so Ellen and her fellow astronauts had to go through more advanced education and training. They studied different sciences like orbital mechanics—how planets, moons and satellites move. 

They learned how to operate a robotic arm on a spacecraft, fly high-performance jets, land using parachutes on both land and water, signal a helicopter, and experience what it feels like to eject from an aircraft.

After their training was complete, it was time to go to space and, over the span of her career, Dr. Ellen Ochoa went to space four times. 

On her first two flights, Ellen studied the Earth’s atmosphere. She also operated the space shuttle’s robotic arm to release and capture the Spartan Satellite, which was a machine studying the sun’s atmosphere. 

On Ellen’s third and fourth flights up to space, she helped form the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is a floating science lab 250 miles above the planet. There are astronauts who live, sleep, eat, and conduct experiments on it to this day.

Dr. Ellen Ochoa spent almost 1,000 hours in space. After she retired as an astronaut, she became the deputy director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center—the second woman to ever do so. Her work paved the way for future generations to explore the cosmos and make their mark on humanity’s greatest frontier.