Sian Hayley Proctor | |
|---|---|
 Proctor in 2021 | |
| Born | (1970-03-28)28 March 1970 (age 55) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Geology professor, and science communicator |
| Known for |
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| Academic background | |
| Education |
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| Thesis | Cognitive process strategies and performance on a contour map memory test (2006) |
| Doctoral advisor | Sarah K. Brem |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Geology and Science education |
| Institutions | South Mountain Community College |
| Space career | |
Commercial astronaut | |
Time in space | 2d 23h 3m |
| Missions | Inspiration4 |
| Website | drsianproctor |
Sian Hayley "Leo"Proctor (March 28, 1970) is an Americancommercial astronaut, geology professor, artist, author, and science communicator. She became the first female commercial spaceship pilot and the first artist selected to go to be an astronaut on the all-civilianInspiration4orbital spaceflight, 15 September 2021.[2][3][4][5] As pilot of the Inspiration4'sSpaceX Crew Dragonspace capsule, Proctor became the first African-American woman to pilot a spacecraft.[6] She was also the education outreach officer for the firstHawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS)Mission.[7] In 2024, Proctor was selected to be a U.S. Science Envoy for theUnited States Department of State.[8]
Since Inspiration4, Sian Proctor has become a notedAfrofuturist artist, poet and author.[9][10][11] Proctor is the first African American astronaut to paint in space.[12]
Proctor is a major in theCivil Air Patrol where she serves as the aerospace education officer for its Arizona Wing.[13]
Sian Proctor was born on 28 March 1970, inHagåtña,Guam, to Edward Langley Proctor Jr. and Gloria Deloris. Her father was aSperry CorporationUNIVAC engineer working for NASA at theGuam Remote Ground Terminal during theApollo era.[14] She is the youngest of four children, with two brothers, Edward Langley Proctor III and Christopher Proctor, and sister Robyn Selent. After the moon landings, Proctor's family moved toMinnesota and later to various Northeastern states while her father changed jobs. Her family moved toFairport, New York, when she was 14 where she later graduated fromFairport High School.[15][16]
She studied atArizona State University, where she received an undergraduate degree on environmental sciences and later a master's degree in geology in 1998. In 2006 she obtained a PhD in Science education.[17] That same year, Proctor got her pilot's license.[18]
She is a member of theAssociation of Space Explorers. Furthermore in December 2022 she was selected as a member of theNational Space Council’s Users Advisory Group.[19][20] As part of her training as pilot of the Inspiration4 flight, she trained in aCessna CitationJet CJ3[21] and (under the tutelage of veteran pilot Isaacman) a MiG-29.[22]
In 2022 she received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters fromUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell.[23]
In 2023 she participated in the space campSpace 2101 atKing Abdullah University of Science and Technology.[24]
Proctor was a finalist for the2009 NASA Astronaut Selection Process. She was one of 47 finalists competing against over 3,500 applicants. Nonetheless, during the final round, she was not one of the nine astronaut candidates selected for the 2009 NASA Astronaut Group.[15]
Proctor went to space as a commercial astronaut and pilot of theCrew Dragon orbital spaceflight missionInspiration4, which launched on 15 September 2021. TheProsperity seat, was obtained as she won an entrepreneur competition. During the flight training she received the call signLeo.[25][26][27][28]
She was joined byJared Isaacman,Hayley Arceneaux, andChris Sembroski, for the first all-civilian human spaceflight mission. In August 2021 she was featured on the cover of aTime magazine double issue with the rest of the crew of Inspiration4.[29][30][31]
As a scientist-astronaut, Proctor was selected to be a U.S. Science Envoy in 2024 to represent theUnited States Department of State's global initiative to promote civil use of space in order "to build peer-to-peer connections with foreign researchers, promote space science education, and raise awareness of the importance of space science to society."[32][33] The 2024 Cohort of U.S. Science Envoys is the first all-female cohort in the history of the U.S. Science Envoy Program.[34]
Proctor acted as education outreach officer for the NASA-funded Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) mission. The purpose of the mission was to investigate food strategies for long duration spaceflight and missions to the Moon or Mars.
During the four-month simulation, Proctor was hired byDiscover Magazine as the photographer for Kate Greene's articleSimulating Mars on Earth. She also filmed theMeals for Mars YouTube series while in the Mars simulation.[35][36][37]
In 2014, she was selected as aPolarTREC teacher, which is a program funded by theNational Science Foundation (NSF) that connects teachers with scientists conducting research in the arctic and Antarctic regions. As part of this program, she spent a month inBarrow, Alaska learning historical ecology for risk management and investigating the impact of climate change on the coastline and community.[38][39]
In 2016, she was selected as a ACEAP Ambassador. A program from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that sendsK–16 formal and informal astronomy educators to US astronomy facilities in Chile. During the summer of 2016, she joined eight other ambassadors as they visitedCerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO),Gemini South Observatory, and theAtacama Large Millimeter-submillimeter Array (ALMA).[40]
Proctor returned to San Pedro, Chile in 2017 to engage in STEM education outreach activities with the local high school and surrounding community.
She participated in theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Teacher at Sea program in 2017. The program was started in 1990 and provides teachers with research experience working at sea. In her case, during three weeks she conductedpollock research in the Bering Sea on the fisheries vesselOscar Dyson and detailed her experience for the blog of NOAA.[41]
She is an international speaker, communicating about science education, leadership, spacial simulations, sustainable foods and diversity in science. Furthermore, she has given severalTEDx Talks.[36][42][43][44] In 2025, her space flownpressure suit has been put on display at theSmithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.[45][46]
Proctor is a life-long artist, painter, and poet. She is a noted Afrofurist artist, working in digital, multi-media, and painting mediums. Proctor is known for her expressions of connection, source, and the divine that she callsAfroGaia.[47] Following her spaceflight, her work frequently makes reference to and is inspired by the space orbit phenomenon of sunlight reflecting off the Earth and back into space and onto spacecraft and astronauts in orbit known asEarthlight.[48] She is an artist-in-residence atArizona State University.[49] While aboard the orbiting Crew Dragon spaceship, she became the first African-American to paint in space.[50]
Dr Proctor has made multiple appearances on television series and documentaries.[13][51][52][53]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Colony (American TV series) season 2 | Contestant |
| 2012 | STEM Journals | Guest Scientist |
| 2016 | Genius by Stephen Hawking | Guest Scientist |
| 2016 | Science Channel Strange Evidence | Science Demonstrator |
| 2020 | Discovery+ Phantom Signals | Self |
| 2021 | Discovery+ Ancient Unexplained Files | Self |
| 2021 | History Channel When Big Things Go Wrong | Self |
| 2022 | Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space | Self/astronaut |
Space tourist missions | |
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| Past missions Flown tourists |
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| Projected |
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| Cancelled missions / tourists |
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| Lists | |
Authority control databases: National |
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