Evelyn Miralles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Evelyn Miralles
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| Born | February 19, 1966 |
| Nationality | US citizen |
| Alma mater | University of Houston–Clear Lake (MBA) (BA) Lamar University (BS) Andrés Bello Catholic University (AA) |
| Occupation | Associate Vice president University of Houston–Clear Lake, software engineer |
Evelyn Rodriguez Miralles was born on February 19, 1966. She is a Venezuelan-American engineer. For many years, she worked at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. There, she was a chief engineer with CACI International.
Evelyn Miralles helped astronauts prepare for space. She used virtual reality (VR) to train them for spacewalks. These are times when astronauts work outside their spacecraft in space. She is now an Associate vice president at the University of Houston–Clear Lake. She works with technology and information.
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Evelyn Miralles' Journey to NASA
When Evelyn was young, she dreamed of being an architect. She wanted to "build something" in space. This dream led her to study computer science. She learned how to create computer graphics.
Education and Early Career
Evelyn studied at Lamar University. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Graphics in 1990. Later, in 1992, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in CIS from the University of Houston–Clear Lake. After finishing her studies, she started working at NASA Johnson Space Center's VRLAB. She spent twenty years there, helping with space missions.
How Virtual Reality Helps Astronauts
Since 1992, Evelyn Miralles supported many important missions. These included the Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) missions.
First Projects and DOUG Software
One of her first projects was to build a 3D model. It was for a habitat that could be used on the Moon. Even though it wasn't built then, it might be useful for future missions to Mars.
Evelyn also helped create special flight software. It's called Dynamic Onboard Ubiquitous Graphics (DOUG). This software has been used since 2000. It helps train astronauts using virtual reality technology. This means astronauts can practice spacewalks in a virtual world before going into space.
Repairing the Hubble Space Telescope
Evelyn was part of the team for the STS 61 mission. This mission happened in 1993. It was very important because it repaired the Hubble Space Telescope. She continued to work on all Space Shuttle and ISS missions after that. Her work helped make sure astronauts were ready for their challenging tasks in space.
Awards and Recognition
Evelyn Miralles has received several awards for her amazing work.
- In 2016, the BBC named her one of the 100 Inspirational Women in the World.
- The University of Houston–Clear Lake gave her a Distinguished Alumna Award in 2016.
- CNET in Spanish listed her as one of the Top 20 most influential Hispanics in the US in 2016.
- In 2012, she received the NASA Space Flight Safety Award, also known as the "Silver Snoopy Award." This award is given by astronauts to people who have done great work for space flight safety.
See also
In Spanish: Evelyn Miralles para niños
