Zena Cardman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zena Cardman
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Cardman in 2017
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Zena Maria Cardman
October 26, 1987 Urbana, Illinois, U.S.
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| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Selection | NASA Group 22 (2017) |
Zena Maria Cardman, born on October 26, 1987, is an amazing American scientist who studies Earth's history and life (a geobiologist). She is also a brave NASA astronaut, ready to explore space!
Contents
Becoming an Astronaut: Zena's Journey
Early Life and Learning
Zena was born on October 26, 1987. She loved learning and went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There, she earned a degree in Biology. She focused on biology, but also studied chemistry and marine sciences. She even wrote a special paper about creative writing!
Zena's research took her to many cool and faraway places. She traveled from the freezing Arctic to the icy Antarctic. She also went on several trips on research ships, exploring the ocean. At the University of North Carolina, she studied how life and Earth's processes mix in places like deep-sea vents. She also worked in Antarctica, studying the environment there for a long time. Later, she earned another degree, a Master of Science, continuing her research.
Before becoming an astronaut, Zena helped NASA with research in different places like British Columbia, Idaho, and Hawaii. She helped plan how astronauts would work outside a spacecraft. She also worked as an engineer on a sailing ship! Just before she was chosen by NASA in 2017, Zena was studying how tiny life forms live deep underground at Pennsylvania State University.
Joining the NASA Team
Before she became an astronaut, Zena worked on two big NASA projects. These projects helped scientists learn about exploring other planets. In June 2017, Zena was chosen to be part of NASA Astronaut Group 22. This meant she started two years of special training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
On January 31, 2024, NASA announced that Zena would be the commander of a mission called SpaceX Crew-9. This mission was supposed to go to the International Space Station. However, plans changed. NASA decided to bring back the Boeing Starliner capsule without anyone on board first. Because of this, Zena and another astronaut, Stephanie Wilson, were taken off the Crew-9 mission. This made space for other astronauts to return home on the Starliner.
Even though she didn't fly on Crew-9, Zena still played a big part. On September 28, 2024, she helped host NASA's live broadcast of the Crew-9 launch. She talked about what her fellow crew members, Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, were experiencing as they successfully launched from Florida.
Zena's Fun Hobbies
When Zena isn't busy with science or space, she enjoys many exciting hobbies. She loves rock climbing, exploring caves (called caving), writing poetry, and power lifting.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Zena has received many awards for her amazing work in school and science. Some of these include a special fellowship for graduate research, a distinguished graduate fellowship, and an award for being the most outstanding senior woman at her university. She also received fellowships from the Space Grant Consortium.
