Tamara E. Jernigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tammy Jernigan
|
|
|---|---|
Jernigan, c. 1999
|
|
| Born |
Tamara Elizabeth Jernigan
May 7, 1959 Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.
|
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
|
Time in space
|
63d 1h 24m |
| Selection | NASA Group 11 (1985) |
|
Total EVAs
|
1 |
|
Total EVA time
|
7h 55m |
| Missions | STS-40 STS-52 STS-67 STS-80 STS-96 |
|
Mission insignia
|
     |
| Retirement | 2001 |
Tamara Elizabeth "Tammy" Jernigan, born on May 7, 1959, is an American astrophysicist and a former NASA astronaut. During her amazing career, she flew on five different Space Shuttle missions. She spent more than 1,512 hours, or over 63 days, in space! After leaving NASA in 2001, she started working at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Early Life and Education
Tamara Elizabeth Jernigan was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on May 7, 1959. Her parents were Mary and Terry Jernigan. She grew up in California and went to Santa Fe High School. She graduated from high school in 1977.
Tammy then went to Stanford University. There, she played varsity volleyball. She earned a bachelor's degree in physics in 1981. Later, she got a master's degree in engineering science in 1983. She continued her studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned another master's degree in astronomy in 1985. In 1988, she received her Ph.D. (a very high degree) in space physics and astronomy from Rice University. Her studies focused on how stars form and how radiation is made in space.
NASA Career
Tammy Jernigan started working for NASA in June 1981. This was while she was still studying at Stanford and Berkeley. She worked as a research scientist at the Ames Research Center. In June 1985, she was chosen as one of only 13 people to become an astronaut candidate.
She officially joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in July 1986. Her first trip to space was on June 5, 1991. She flew on five Space Shuttle missions. Three of these missions were on the Columbia. She also flew once on Endeavour and once on Discovery. In total, she spent over 1,512 hours in space!
On her last mission, STS-96 aboard Discovery in 1999, she performed a spacewalk. This spacewalk, also called an extra-vehicular activity (EVA), lasted for 7 hours and 55.5 minutes. During her time at NASA, Tammy also held important leadership roles. She helped manage both military and civilian astronauts. She also worked on the International Space Station program. She even represented NASA in meetings in Moscow to discuss astronaut training and operations.
Tammy Jernigan retired from NASA in 2001. Today, she works at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She helps lead a group that works on important scientific projects.
Awards
Tammy Jernigan has received several important awards for her work. These include:
- The NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- The NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal
Personal Life
Tammy Jernigan lives in Pleasanton, California. She is married to another former astronaut, Peter Wisoff. They have two children, Jeffrey and Michael Wisoff. Both Peter and Jeffrey also work at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
See also
In Spanish: Tamara E. Jernigan para niños
