Tracy Caldwell Dyson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tracy Caldwell Dyson
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Caldwell Dyson in 2023
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Tracy Ellen Caldwell
August 14, 1969 Arcadia, California, U.S
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| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
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Time in space
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372 days 18 hours and 36 minutes |
| Selection | NASA Group 17 (1998) |
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Total EVAs
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4 |
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Total EVA time
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23 hours and 20 minutes |
| Missions | STS-118 Soyuz TMA-18 (Expedition 23/24) Soyuz MS-25 (Expedition 70/71) |
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Mission insignia
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physical chemistry |
| Thesis | A Mechanistic and Kinetic Study of Heterocycle and Cyclization Chemistry on Pd(111) Using Laser-Induced Thermal Desorption with Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry (1997) |
Tracy Caldwell Dyson (born Tracy Ellen Caldwell; August 14, 1969) is an American chemist and NASA astronaut. She has flown on three space missions. These include a Space Shuttle flight and two long trips to the International Space Station (ISS). She has also done four spacewalks, spending almost 24 hours outside the station.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Tracy Caldwell Dyson was born in Arcadia, California. She is the younger of two sisters. In the early 1980s, her family moved to Beaumont, California. Her father worked there as an electrician.
As a kid, she enjoyed many activities. These included running, lifting weights, hiking, and playing softball and basketball. She also liked working on cars.
College Studies
She went to California State University, Fullerton. There, she was part of the track and field team. She competed as a sprinter and long jumper.
At the university, she also worked in a lab. She helped build electronic parts for a special machine. This machine studied how gases in the air react. She also helped make sure labs were safe. She checked for dangerous chemicals and radioactive materials.
Later, she went to the University of California, Davis. She taught chemistry classes there. Her research focused on how chemicals react on metal surfaces. She used special tools to study these tiny reactions.
In 1997, she received a special award. This award helped her study atmospheric chemistry. She looked at how different chemicals behave in the air. She has shared her work in many scientific papers.
Career at NASA
In June 1998, NASA chose Tracy Caldwell Dyson to become an astronaut. She started her training two months later. Her training included learning about the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS). She also learned how to fly a T-38 jet. Plus, she practiced survival skills for water and wilderness. After finishing this training, she became a mission specialist.
Working in Mission Control
In 1999, she worked with the Russian team. She helped test Russian equipment and software for the ISS. She also supported the Expedition 5 crew. She helped them with technical questions during their training and mission.
From 2003, she worked with the Space Shuttle team. She helped test flight software. She also supported launches and landings at Kennedy Space Center. Caldwell Dyson also served as a CAPCOM (Capsule Communicator). A CAPCOM is the person in Mission Control who talks directly to the astronauts in space.
Between her space flights, she continued as a CAPCOM. She talked to both Space Shuttle and Space Station crews. She also helped train new CAPCOMs for the Boeing Starliner missions.
She also helped improve astronaut training. She created a new training plan for spacewalks. This plan helps new astronauts get ready for EVAs (Extravehicular Activities).
Tracy Dyson also hosted a show on NASA TV. It was called StationLife. The show shared what life is like on the International Space Station.
In 2017, she met with President Trump. She was there when he signed a bill for NASA to send humans to Mars. She and another astronaut gave him an official flight jacket.
STS-118 Mission
Caldwell Dyson was chosen for the STS-118 mission in May 2006. This was the first flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour after the Columbia accident.
On August 8, 2007, she launched into space for the first time. During this mission, the crew added new parts to the ISS. They installed a new section, a gyroscope, and spare parts. They also activated a system that let the Shuttle use power from the station. This helped them stay longer in space.
Three astronauts performed four spacewalks. The Endeavour carried about 5,000 pounds of supplies to the station. It brought back about 4,000 pounds of old equipment. The STS-118 mission lasted almost 13 days. It traveled 5.3 million miles in space. On day 7 of the flight, Caldwell Dyson celebrated her 38th birthday in space.
Expedition 23/24 Mission
Caldwell Dyson was assigned to her second space mission in November 2008. This mission was a six-month trip to the International Space Station.
She launched on April 2, 2010, from Baikonur. She flew on the Soyuz TMA-18 spacecraft. She joined Expedition 23 as a flight engineer. Later, she moved to Expedition 24.
During her mission, the STS-131 crew visited the station. This was a special time because four women were in space together. They were Caldwell Dyson, Stephanie Wilson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, and Naoko Yamazaki. This was the first time this had ever happened. Another Space Shuttle, STS-132, also visited. It brought a new Russian module called Rassvet.
In August, a coolant pump on the station broke. Caldwell Dyson performed her first spacewalk on August 7, 2010. She worked with astronaut Douglas Wheelock. Their job was to get the pump ready to be replaced. She did two more spacewalks on August 11 and August 16 to replace the pump.
After 176 days in space, Caldwell Dyson landed in Kazakhstan on September 25, 2010. She completed three spacewalks during this mission. She spent over 22 hours outside the station.
Expedition 70/71 Mission
Caldwell Dyson trained as a backup crew member for the Soyuz MS-24 mission. She was later officially assigned to the Soyuz MS-25 mission in 2023.
Her first launch attempt on March 21, 2024, was stopped. This happened just 20 seconds before liftoff. There was a low voltage reading in the rocket's electrical system. She launched successfully on March 23, 2024. She flew with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky and Belarusian cosmonaut Marina Vasilevskaya.
After two days, the Soyuz crew docked with the International Space Station. This was on March 25, 2024. The first weeks of her mission included the SpaceX CRS-30 mission. They also watched the total solar eclipse over North America on April 8, 2024.
Starting in mid-May, the Expedition 71 crew prepared for three spacewalks. They checked their spacesuits and tools. They also did maintenance tasks and continued scientific work.
On June 6, Caldwell Dyson saw the first crewed Boeing Starliner mission arrive. She helped the Starliner crew with their test flight goals. This included checking if the spacecraft was comfortable for four crew members.
On June 24, Caldwell Dyson started a spacewalk (EVA 90) with Michael Barratt. Sadly, this spacewalk ended early. There was a water leak in her spacesuit. The leak happened when she disconnected a part of her suit. The spacewalk lasted only 31 minutes.
All future spacewalks were postponed after this incident. Expedition 71 continued with scientific work and station maintenance. They saw the departure of the Cygnus NG-20 cargo ship. It was named after Dyson's classmate, Patricia Hilliard Robertson. They also saw the arrival of the Cygnus NG-21 cargo ship.
Caldwell Dyson spent six months on the station. She returned to Earth on September 23, 2024. She landed with Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub on the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft.
Other Activities
Tracy Caldwell Dyson is a private pilot. She can speak American Sign Language and Russian.
She is also the lead singer for an all-astronaut band. The band is called Max Q.
In 2011, she was a guest judge on the Food Network show Cupcake Wars. It was a space-themed episode. She also appeared on MasterChef Junior Season 4.
Caldwell Dyson helped actress Jessica Chastain. Chastain was preparing to play an astronaut in the 2015 movie The Martian. Chastain said Tracy Caldwell Dyson inspired her a lot.
She is a member of the Sigma Xi Research Society. She is also part of the American Chemical Society.
Personal Life
Tracy Caldwell Dyson is married to George Dyson. He is a U.S. Naval aviator. She believes in God and was raised as a Methodist.
Awards and Honors
- Honorary Doctorate, California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) (May 2008)
- NASA Performance Award (2002 & 2001)
- NASA Go the Extra Mile (GEM) Award (2001)
- NASA Superior Accomplishment Award (2000)
- NASA Group Achievement Award – Russian Crusader Team (2000)
- Camille and Henry Dreyfus Postdoctoral Fellowship in Environmental Science (1997)
- Outstanding Doctoral Student Award in Chemistry from the University of California, Davis (1997)
- American Vacuum Society – HWhetten Award (1996)
- American Vacuum Society Graduate Research Award (1996)
- Pro Femina Research Consortium Graduate Research Award (1996)
- Pro Femina Research Consortium Graduate Award for Scientific Travel (1996)
- University of California, Davis Graduate Research Award (1996)
- University of California, Davis Graduate Student Award for Scientific Travel (1994)
- Patricia Roberts Harris Graduate Fellowship in Chemistry (1993–1997)
- Lyle Wallace Award for Service to the Department of Chemistry, California State University Fullerton (1993)
- National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Award (1992)
- Council of Building & Construction Trades Scholarship (1991 and 1992)
- Big West Scholar Athlete (1989–1991)
See also
In Spanish: Tracy Caldwell Dyson para niños
