Tamara E. Jernigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tammy Jernigan
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Jernigan, c. 1999
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Tamara Elizabeth Jernigan
May 7, 1959 Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
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Time in space
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63d 1h 24m |
| Selection | NASA Group 11 (1985) |
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Total EVAs
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1 |
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Total EVA time
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7h 55m |
| Missions | STS-40 STS-52 STS-67 STS-80 STS-96 |
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Mission insignia
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| Retirement | 2001 |
Tamara Elizabeth "Tammy" Jernigan is an amazing American astrophysicist and a former NASA astronaut. She was born on May 7, 1959. During her time as an astronaut, she flew on five Space Shuttle missions. She spent over 1512 hours, which is more than 63 days, in space! Tammy Jernigan left NASA in 2001. Today, she works at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She helps manage a group that deals with important scientific projects.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Tamara Elizabeth Jernigan was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her parents were Mary and Terry Jernigan. She grew up in Santa Fe Springs, California. Tammy went to Santa Fe High School and finished in 1977.
After high school, Tammy went to Stanford University. She was a great athlete and played volleyball for her university team. She earned two degrees from Stanford. In 1981, she got a Bachelor of Science degree in physics. Then, in 1983, she earned a Master of Science degree in engineering science.
Tammy continued her studies at the University of California, Berkeley. There, she received another Master of Science degree in astronomy in 1985. She loved learning about space! In 1988, she earned her highest degree, a Ph.D., from Rice University. Her Ph.D. was in space physics and astronomy. Her research looked at how stars form and how energy bursts happen in space.
Tammy Jernigan's 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, something very exciting happened. She was chosen as one of only 13 people to become an astronaut candidate!
Tammy officially joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in July 1986. Her first journey into space was on June 5, 1991. She flew on five different Space Shuttle missions. Three of her missions were on the Space Shuttle Columbia. She also flew once on Endeavour and once on Discovery. In total, she spent over 1512 hours in space.
On her last mission, STS-96, in 1999, she flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery. During this mission, she performed a spacewalk, also known as an extra-vehicular activity. This spacewalk lasted for 7 hours and 55.5 minutes! It's a long time to be outside a spacecraft.
Tammy Jernigan also held important leadership roles at NASA. She was the Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office. In this role, she helped manage both military and civilian astronauts. She also worked on the International Space Station program. She helped decide how the Space Station should be designed and operated. She even represented NASA in meetings in Moscow to discuss astronaut training and operations.
Tammy Jernigan retired from NASA in 2001. She now works at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She is a Deputy Principal Associate Director there.
Awards and Recognition
Tammy Jernigan has received several important awards for her work. These include the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. This medal is one of the highest honors given by NASA. She also received 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 Wisoff and Michael Wisoff. Both Peter and Jeffrey also work at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
External Links
- NASA Biography
See also
In Spanish: Tamara E. Jernigan para niños
