Rodolfo Neri Vela facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rodolfo Neri Vela
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| Born | February 19, 1952 |
| Alma mater | National Autonomous University of Mexico (BS) University of Essex (MS) University of Birmingham (PhD) |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Space career | |
| NASA Payload Specialist | |
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Time in space
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6d 21h 04m |
| Selection | 1985 NASA Group |
| Missions | STS-61-B |
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Mission insignia
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Rodolfo Neri Vela was born on February 19, 1952. He is a famous Mexican scientist and astronaut. In 1985, he flew into space on a NASA Space Shuttle mission. He was the second person from Latin America to travel to space. The first was Cuban cosmonaut Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez.
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About Rodolfo Neri Vela
Rodolfo Neri Vela was born in Chilpancingo, which is a city in Guerrero, Mexico. Today, he is a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He teaches about telecommunications in the engineering department.
His Education Journey
Rodolfo Neri Vela went to high school at Escuela Nacional Preparatoria 2. He studied hard and earned several degrees.
- In 1975, he got his first degree in mechanical and electrical engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
- Then, in 1976, he earned a master's degree in science from the University of Essex in England. He focused on telecommunications systems.
- Later, in 1979, he received a doctorate degree from the University of Birmingham. His studies were about how electromagnetic radiation works. After that, he spent another year researching waveguides at the same university.
What He Did for Work
Before becoming an astronaut, Rodolfo Neri Vela worked with several important engineering groups. These included the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in the United States and the Institution of Electrical Engineers in the UK.
He also worked at the Institute of Electrical Research in Mexico. There, he helped plan and research things like antennas and satellite communication systems. Today, he is still a full-time researcher at the Faculty of Engineering at UNAM.
In 2016, he even lent his voice to the Latin American version of the movie Finding Dory. He was the narrator for the recording of the Institute of Marine Life.
His Amazing Spaceflight
Rodolfo Neri Vela was a Payload Specialist on the STS-61-B mission. This mission used the Atlantis. It launched at night on November 26, 1985, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The shuttle landed back on Earth on December 3, 1985, at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
During this mission, the crew did many important things:
- They launched three communication satellites: MORELOS-B, AUSSATT II, and SATCOM K-2.
- They performed two long spacewalks. These spacewalks helped show how to build parts of a space station.
- They also ran several science experiments for different organizations. Some of these were for the Mexican government.
By the end of his mission, Neri Vela had traveled about 2.4 million miles (3.8 million km). He orbited Earth 108 times and spent over 165 hours in space!
Tortillas in Space
Here's a fun fact about his trip: Rodolfo Neri Vela asked for tortillas to be part of his food supply on the shuttle. This was a great idea! Unlike regular bread, tortillas don't make crumbs that could float around in space. Astronauts could use them to make sandwiches or hold other food.
Because of his request, NASA started including tortillas on all shuttle and ISS missions. They are now a favorite food for astronauts. Crewmembers use them to make breakfast burritos, hamburgers, and even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in space!
See also
In Spanish: Rodolfo Neri Vela para niños
- List of Hispanic astronauts
