Lissette Martinez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lissette Martinez
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| Born | 1971 (age 53–54) Brooklyn, New York, United States
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| Nationality | Puerto Rican/American |
| Alma mater | University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (BSE) |
| Occupation | Electronics engineer and scientist |
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Martinez was part of the team that launched a rocket from White Sands, New Mexico to gather information on the Comet Hale–Bopp in 1999.
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Lissette Martinez, born in 1971, is an amazing electrical engineer and rocket scientist. She works for NASA, the United States space agency. Lissette is in charge of the Electrical Engineering Branch at the Wallops Flight Facility (WFF). This facility is part of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). She also leads the Space Experiment Module program. Her job involves testing important equipment for space missions.
Early Life and Space Dreams
Lissette Martinez was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents were from Puerto Rico. When she was a child, her family moved to Yauco, Puerto Rico. She went to school there from elementary to high school.
In 8th grade, Lissette had a special homework assignment. She had to study the moon for a whole month. Every night, she would go to the roof of her house. She wrote down and drew everything she saw about the moon. This project really inspired her. It made her want to work in space science.
Becoming an Engineer
After high school, Lissette went to the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. She studied to become an electrical engineer. In her third year, she got an amazing chance. She was accepted into the NASA Cooperative Education Program.
This program let her work with real NASA scientists. At the same time, she earned credits for her college classes. In 1993, Lissette finished her degree. She earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. Right after graduating, NASA offered her a job.
Working at NASA
Lissette Martinez has been part of many exciting projects at NASA. In 1999, she helped launch a rocket. This rocket took off from White Sands, New Mexico. Its mission was to gather information about the Comet Hale–Bopp.
She was even featured in Latina magazine in 2002. Lissette provides important electrical engineering support. She works on the Space Experiment Module (SEM) program. She makes sure that both ground and flight hardware are tested properly.
Lissette also works with students from all over the world. She helps them with their science experiments. Some of these experiments actually get to travel into space! They ride along on Space Shuttle missions. Lissette continues her important work at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Personal Life
Lissette Martinez lives in Salisbury, Maryland. She lives there with her husband and their two sons.
See also
- History of women in Puerto Rico
- List of Puerto Ricans
- List of Puerto Rican scientists and inventors
- List of Puerto Ricans in the United States Space Program
- University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez people
