Nicole Stott facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nicole Stott
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| Born | November 19, 1962 Albany, New York, U.S.
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| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
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Time in space
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103d 5h 49m |
| Selection | NASA Group 18 (2000) |
| Missions | STS-128 Expedition 20 Expedition 21 STS-129 STS-133 |
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Mission insignia
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Nicole Marie Passonno Stott, born on November 19, 1962, is an American engineer and a former astronaut for NASA. She spent a lot of time in space! Nicole was a flight engineer on the International Space Station (ISS) during Expedition 20 and Expedition 21. She also flew as a mission specialist on Space Shuttle missions STS-128 and STS-133. After working at NASA for 27 years, she retired on June 1, 2015. Nicole is married to Christopher Stott, who is also involved in the space industry.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Becoming an Engineer
Nicole Stott was born in Albany, New York. She now lives in St. Petersburg, Florida. She studied aviation administration at St. Petersburg College. In 1987, she earned a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Later, in 1992, she received a master's degree in Engineering Management from the University of Central Florida.
Nicole started her career in 1987 as an engineer. She worked on designing parts for jet engines at Pratt & Whitney in West Palm Beach, Florida. She also knows how to fly planes and is a private pilot.
NASA Career
Joining NASA
In 1988, Nicole Stott joined NASA at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. She worked as an Operations Engineer. Her job was to help prepare the Space Shuttles for their flights. She also helped make the process of getting shuttles ready more efficient.
Nicole worked on a special project to create smart scheduling tools. This tool, called GPSS, helped NASA plan its work better. It was so successful that it was even used by other companies!
Working with Space Shuttles and the ISS
During her time at KSC, Nicole had many important roles. She helped manage the operations of the Space Shuttle. She also worked on the Space Shuttle Endeavour and Space Shuttle Columbia. Later, she moved to California to help build parts for the International Space Station (ISS).
In 1998, Nicole joined the team at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. There, she worked as a Flight Simulation Engineer. She helped train astronauts using special planes that could act like the Space Shuttle.
Becoming an Astronaut
NASA chose Nicole as an astronaut in July 2000. She started her training in August 2000. After two years of hard work, she was ready! She then helped evaluate equipment for the space station. She also worked as a CAPCOM (Capsule Communicator). This meant she was the main person talking to astronauts in space from Mission Control.
In April 2006, Nicole was part of the NEEMO 9 mission. For 18 days, she lived and worked underwater in a special research habitat called Aquarius. This helped prepare her for living in space.
Nicole flew to the International Space Station on Space Shuttle mission STS-128. While in space, she did her first spacewalk! She returned to Earth on Space Shuttle mission STS-129. This made her the last astronaut from an ISS expedition to return on a Space Shuttle. Her second spaceflight was on STS-133, which was one of the last Space Shuttle missions ever.
First Live Tweet-up from Space
On October 21, 2009, Nicole Stott and her fellow astronaut Jeff Williams made history. They took part in the first ever live Twitter chat from the International Space Station! People on Earth gathered at NASA Headquarters to talk with them. Before this, astronauts would send their messages to Mission Control, who would then post them online. This was the first time they could chat directly!
Post NASA Career
Life After Space
After retiring from NASA, Nicole Stott continued to inspire others. She was even featured in a Super Bowl commercial for Girls Who Code. This organization encourages girls to learn about computer science.
Nicole has also written a book called "Back To Earth." It shares what she learned about our home planet and why we need to protect it, based on her experiences in space.
Nicole is also a talented artist. She brought a small watercolor paint set with her on Expedition 21 to the ISS. This made her the first person to paint with watercolors in space! Her artwork often shows space and Earth from above. In 2022, she narrated a musical piece called "Voyager: A Journey to the Stars" for an orchestra.
See also
In Spanish: Nicole P. Stott para niños
