Jeanette Epps | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, December 2023 | |
| Born | Jeanette Jo Epps (1970-11-03)November 3, 1970 (age 55) Syracuse, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Le Moyne College (BS) University of Maryland, College Park (MS,PhD) |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
Time in space | 235 days, 3 hours, 35 minutes |
| Selection | NASA Group 20 (2009) |
| Missions | SpaceX Crew-8 (Expedition 70/71/72) |
Mission insignia |     |
| Retirement | May 30, 2025 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Aerospace engineering |
| Thesis | In-Flight Tracking of Helicopter Rotor Blades with Tabs Using Shape Memory Alloy Actuators. (2000) |
| Doctoral advisor | Inderjit Chopra |
Jeanette Jo Epps (born November 3, 1970) is an Americanaerospaceengineer and retiredNASAastronaut. Epps received both her M. S. and Ph.D. degrees inaerospace engineering from theUniversity of Maryland, where she was part of therotor-craft research group and was a NASA GSRP Fellow. She was chosen for the 20th class of NASA astronauts in 2009, graduating in 2011. She served as a member of the ISS Operations Branch and completed analog astronaut missions, includingNEEMO 18 andCAVES 19. She is the second woman and first African-American woman to have participated in CAVES. She was part of theSpaceX Crew-8 mission that spent 235 days in space and 232 days on the ISS from launch on March 4, 2024 to return to Earth on October 25, 2024.[1]
Jeanette Epps was born inSyracuse, New York,[2] one of seven children born to Henry and Luberta (née Jackson) Epps, Mississippians who moved to Syracuse as part of theGreat Migration.[3][4][5] She and her twin sister Janet excelled in math and science.[3] She graduated fromCorcoran High School in Syracuse and earned aB.S. degree in physics fromLe Moyne College and anM.S. and aPh.D. degree inaerospace engineering from theUniversity of Maryland.[6][7][8][9]
While pursuing herM.S. in Aerospace Engineering andPh.D in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical/Space Engineering at theUniversity of Maryland, Epps was awarded aNASA GRSP Fellowship and went on to publish many academic works which have been highly cited.[8][10] Her research was focused in the area ofmaterials engineering, which included comprehensive testing of composite swept-tip beams, comparison of analytical models with experimental results for shape memory alloys, and use of shape memory alloy actuators for tracking helicopter rotor blades in-flight.[11][12]
After graduating, Epps worked in research atFord Motor Company, then as a TechnicalIntelligence Officer with theCentral Intelligence Agency.[6] Her work at theFord Motor Company, resulted in a provisional patent involving the application ofmagnetostrictive actuators to reducevibrations in the suspension control arms, and later, a US patent for detection of the location of a frontal collision in an automobile.[13] She worked at the CIA for seven years, including deployments to Iraq.[14] Before becoming an astronaut, her role at the CIA was a Technical Intelligence Officer.[15]
In June 2009, Epps was selected as an astronaut candidate for the 20th class of NASA astronauts and later qualified in 2011.[2] Her training included extensive Russian, spacewalk (EVA) and robotics training, along with geology.[16]She has also completed T-38 jet training and has attended theNational Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).[16]
Epps subsequently served as anaquanaut aboard theAquariusunderwater laboratory during theNEEMO 18 undersea exploration mission for nine days starting on July 21, 2014.[17][18] She has also participated in geologic studies in Hawaii.[16] Epps has worked with the Generic Joint Operation Panel as a representative, which included work on crew efficiency on theISS.[16] This work resulted in her winning the Johnson Space Center Director's Innovation Group Achievement Award in 2013.[16] She has also worked asCAPCOM forMission Control, including serving as lead CAPCOM, and currently serves in ISS Operations Branch.[7] Epps has also completed training in winter and water survival inStar City, Russia.[19]
On January 4, 2017, NASA announced that Epps would be assigned as a flight engineer to theInternational Space Station (ISS) in mid-2018 forExpeditions 56 and57, but on January 16, 2018, NASA announced that Epps had been replaced by her backupSerena M. Auñón-Chancellor and would instead be "considered for assignment to future missions".[20] The reason for Epps' removal was not stated, and a NASA spokesperson said, "These decisions are personnel matters for which NASA doesn't provide information."[21] TheWashington Post stated that "Last-minute crew changes are not unusual at NASA,"[22] although Epps’ brother blamed racism for her removal.[23][24]
In 2019, Epps completed theESA CAVES training program simulating the demands of exploring unknown terrains like those of the Moon and Mars.[25][26] Epps is the second woman and first Black woman to participate in CAVES, following fellow NASA astronaut,Jessica Meir.[27][28][29][30]
Epps also speaks to gatherings and has done so at the University of Maryland multiple times, including at the 2013 winter commencement ceremony for the university's engineering school.[31][32] She is currently a Member of theSociety for Science & the Public, in addition to theAIAA.[16] Epps was a special guest at the77th World Science Fiction Convention inDublin,Ireland.[33]
On August 25, 2020, NASA announced that Epps would joinStarliner-1, the first operational mission of Boeing'sStarliner to the ISS, which was delayed from its scheduled launch in the summer of 2021.[34][35] According toThe New York Times, the launch would have made Epps "the first Black woman to be part of an I.S.S. crew," a milestone that was ultimately reached instead byJessica Watkins in 2022.[36][37][38] African-American astronauts were members of Space Shuttle crews to the ISS while the station was being constructed, but untilVictor Glover went to the station in Nov 2020, none had made an extended stay as a crew member.[38][39]
Epps began cross-training on theSpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft as the Starliner-1 mission kept getting delayed.[40]
In August 2023, NASA announced that Epps would fly as a mission specialist onSpaceX Crew-8, a half-year mission to the ISS that launched on March 4, 2024 onboard the Crew DragonEndeavour.[41] The mission made her the second African-American woman to be part of a long-duration mission onboard the ISS.[42] The mission spent extra time in space because of a month-long delay in launchingSpaceX Crew-9.[43] They then spent a few extra weeks removing seating and other equipment inEndeavour that was needed forBoeing Crew Flight Test mission astronautsSunita Williams andButch Wilmore.[44] Weather in the landing zones then caused further delays, but Epps and her crewmates finally splashed down off of the coast ofPensacola, Florida on October 25, 2024.[45] The mission’s 235 days in low-Earth orbit set the single-mission record for the longest time an American crewed spacecraft spent in space.[43]
In June 2025, NASA announced that Epps retired after working 16 years with the agency.[1]
Epps has authored several highly referenced works, including conference and journal papers from her graduate research, along with a patent from her work at the Ford Motor Company.[16][11]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Next year, he [astronaut Victor Glover] could be followed by Jeanette Epps, who would be the first Black woman to be part of an I.S.S. crew. She will fly aboard the first operational crewed trip of Boeing's Starliner capsule.
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