Janet L. Kavandi Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Janet Kavandi

Born	(1959-07-17) July 17, 1959 (age 65) Carthage, Missouri, U.S.
Space career
NASA astronaut
Time in space	33d 20h 8m
Selection	NASA Group 15 (1994)
Missions	STS-91 STS-99 STS-104
Mission insignia


Scientific career
Fields	Physics
Thesis	Luminescene Imaging for Aerodynamic Pressure Measurements (1990)

Janet Lynn Kavandi, born on July 17, 1959, in Carthage, Missouri, is an American scientist and a NASA astronaut. She flew on three Space Shuttle missions. She also held important leadership roles at NASA, including being the director of the Glenn Research Center. In 2019, she was honored by being inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame. Today, she is the president of Sierra Space.

Janet Kavandi's Education Journey
Early Career Before NASA
Becoming a NASA Astronaut
Awards and Honors
Images for kids
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Janet Kavandi's Education Journey

Janet Kavandi was a top student, graduating as valedictorian from Carthage Senior High School in 1977. She continued her studies, earning several degrees in chemistry. She received her bachelor's degree from Missouri Southern State University in 1980. She then earned her master's degree from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in 1982. Finally, she completed her doctorate from the University of Washington in 1990.

Early Career Before NASA

After finishing her master's degree in 1982, Janet Kavandi began her career as an engineer. She worked at Eagle-Picher Industries in Joplin, Missouri, developing new batteries for defense. In 1984, she moved to Seattle, Washington, to work for Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

At Boeing, she was a lead engineer for various projects. These included the Short Range Attack Missile II and the UUM-125 Sea Lance. She also helped with studies for the Space Station, Lunar and Mars Bases, and other aerospace programs. While working at Boeing, she started her doctorate, focusing on a special paint that could show pressure on surfaces in wind tunnels. Her work on this paint led to two patents.

Becoming a NASA Astronaut

Janet Kavandi in her NASA uniform.

Janet Kavandi was chosen by NASA to become an astronaut in December 1994. She started her training at the Johnson Space Center in March 1995. After a year of training, she worked on integrating payloads for the International Space Station.

First Space Mission: STS-91

Kavandi's first mission was STS-91, which flew from June 2 to June 12, 1998. This was the ninth and final mission where a Space Shuttle docked with the Russian Mir space station. This mission marked the end of the joint U.S./Russian Phase 1 program in space. After this flight, she worked as a CAPCOM (spacecraft communicator) in NASA's Mission Control Center.

Second Space Mission: STS-99

Her second mission was STS-99, from February 11 to February 22, 2000. This mission, called the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, used radar to map over 47 million miles of Earth's land surface. The data collected helped create a very accurate 3D map of our planet.

Third Space Mission: STS-104

Before her third mission, Kavandi trained in the Robotics Branch, learning about the robotic arms on both the Space Shuttle and the Space Station. Her most recent mission was STS-104, from July 12 to July 24, 2001. This was the tenth mission to the International Space Station. The crew installed the "Quest" joint airlock, which is used for spacewalks. They also worked with the Expedition 2 crew living on the station. Even though Kavandi trained for spacewalks, she did not perform one on this mission.

Leadership Roles at NASA

After her last mission, Kavandi took on more leadership roles. She led the Payloads and Habitability Branch and later became the chief of the International Space Station (ISS) branch. In these roles, she was in charge of training astronauts, ensuring their safety, and managing the development of hardware and software for the ISS. She also oversaw the scientific experiments conducted on the station and coordinated with international partners.

In 2005, Kavandi became the deputy chief of the Astronaut Office, a position she held until February 2008. After that, she served as deputy director and then director of flight crew operations at the Johnson Space Center.

Janet Kavandi flew on three space missions, spending over 33 days in space. During her flights, she traveled more than 13.1 million miles and orbited Earth 535 times.

In March 2016, she became the center director at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. She retired from NASA in September 2019 and joined Sierra Nevada Corporation.

Awards and Honors

Janet Kavandi has received many awards and honors throughout her career:

National Honor Society, 1977
Valedictorian of Carthage Senior High School, 1977
Presidential Scholarship from Missouri Southern State University, 1977
Graduated magna cum laude from Missouri Southern State University, 1980
Certificates for Team Excellence and Performance Excellence from Boeing Missile Systems, 1991
NASA Space Flight Medals
NASA Exceptional Service Medals, 2001 and 2002
NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, 2006
United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, 2019