Joan Higginbotham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joan Higginbotham
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| Born | August 3, 1964 |
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| NASA astronaut | |
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Time in space
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12d 20h 45m |
| Selection | NASA Group 16 (1996) |
| Missions | STS-116 |
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Mission insignia
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Joan Elizabeth Higginbotham was born on August 3, 1964. She is a talented electrical engineer and a former NASA astronaut. She flew into space on the Space Shuttle Discovery during mission STS-116. On this mission, she worked as a mission specialist. Joan is also famous for being the third African American woman to travel to space. The other two were Mae Jemison and Stephanie Wilson.
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Early Life and School
Joan Higginbotham was born in Chicago, Illinois. She went to Whitney Young Magnet High School and finished in 1982. She then earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1987. Later, she got two master's degrees from the Florida Institute of Technology. One was in management science (1992) and the other in space systems (1996).
Joan is a member of two important groups: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and The Links, Incorporated.
Her Career at NASA
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Joan Higginbotham started working at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida in 1987. This was just two weeks after she got her first degree! She began as an engineer, working with electrical systems for payloads. Payloads are the things that a spacecraft carries into space.
Working with Space Shuttles
Within six months, she became a lead engineer for experiments on the Space Shuttle Columbia. She also helped prepare the Shuttle's cargo area for different missions. She made sure all the equipment worked well together. Joan also helped create a special display at the Kennedy Space Center's Visitors Center. This display showed how the Space Shuttle was prepared for flight.
Later, she worked on the Space Shuttle Atlantis. She helped connect the orbiter docking station (ODS) to the Shuttle. This was used when the Shuttle connected with the Mir space station. After that, she became the lead engineer for the Space Shuttle Columbia. She was in charge of testing and fixing any problems with the vehicle. During her nine years at KSC, she helped with 53 Space Shuttle launches!
Becoming an Astronaut
In April 1996, NASA chose Joan Higginbotham to become an astronaut. She moved to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. As an astronaut, she had many important jobs. She worked on the equipment that goes into space. She also tested parts of the International Space Station (ISS) to make sure they would work in space.
Joan also worked as a CAPCOM, which stands for Capsule Communicator. This meant she was the voice on Earth that talked to astronauts in space. She helped with many missions to the ISS and Space Shuttle flights. She also worked with robotics and led a team that designed how astronauts would interact with the ISS systems.
Her Space Mission
Joan Higginbotham spent over 308 hours in space during her mission. She flew on STS-116 with the Space Shuttle Discovery crew. Her main job on this mission was to operate the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS). This is a robotic arm used to move things outside the space station.
Joan decided to leave NASA in November 2007 to work in the private sector. Another astronaut, Donald Pettit, took her place on the STS-126 mission.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Joan Higginbotham has received many awards and honors for her amazing work:
- Group Award for her work on the STS-26 flight (the first Shuttle flight after the Challenger accident).
- NASA Exceptional Service Medal.
- Keys to the Cities of Cocoa and Rockledge, Florida.
- Certificate of Appreciation for Service from Kennedy Space Center Public Affairs.
- Women of Color in Technology Career Achievement Award.
- Commendation of Merit for Service to the Department of Defense Missions.
- World Who's Who of Women.
- Named one of the 50 Distinguished Scientists and Engineers by the National Technical Association in 1992, 1993, and 1995.
- Distinguished Alumni from Florida Institute of Technology in 1997.
- Named one of the Top 50 Women by Essence Magazine in 2004.
- Technical Achiever (Engineer) by the National Technical Association in 2007.
- Women in Space Science Award from the Adler Planetarium in 2007.
- Black Rose Award from the League of Black Women in 2007.
- Featured in "Bold Visions: Women in Science & Technology," a PBS special in 2008.
- Named one of the 50 Most Influential Women by The Mecklenburg Times in 2014.
- Received an Honorary Doctor of Aerospace Science from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 2016.
- Received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of New Orleans in 2017.
- Was a featured speaker at TEDxBermuda in 2019.
See also
In Spanish: Joan Higginbotham para niños
