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Jeanette Epps

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Jeanette Epps
Official portrait, December 2023
Born
Jeanette Jo Epps

(1970-11-03) November 3, 1970 (age 54)
Syracuse, New York, U.S.
EducationLe Moyne College (BS)
University of Maryland, College Park (MS, PhD)
Space career
NASA astronaut
Time in space
235 days, 3 hours and 35 minutes
SelectionNASA Group 20 (2009)
MissionsSpaceX Crew-8 ( Expeditions 70/71/72)
Mission insignia
Scientific career
FieldsAerospace engineering
ThesisIn-Flight Tracking of Helicopter Rotor Blades with Tabs Using Shape Memory Alloy Actuators (2000)
Doctoral advisorInderjit Chopra

Jeanette Jo Epps (born November 3, 1970) is an American aerospace engineer and NASA astronaut. Epps received both her M. S. and Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland, where she was part of the rotor-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 currently serves as a member of the ISS Operations Branch and has completed analog astronaut missions, including NEEMO 18 and CAVES 19. She is the second woman and first African-American woman to have participated in CAVES. She was part of the SpaceX Crew-8 mission, that spent 235 days on the ISS from launch on March 4, 2024, to return to Earth on October 25, 2024.

Early life and education

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Jeanette Epps was born in Syracuse, New York,[1] one of seven children born to Henry and Luberta (née Jackson) Epps, Mississippians who moved to Syracuse as part of the Great Migration.[2][3][4] She and her twin sister Janet excelled in math and science.[2] She graduated from Corcoran High School in Syracuse and earned a B.S. degree in physics from Le Moyne College and an M.S. and a Ph.D. degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland.[5][6][7][8]

Early research and career

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While pursuing her M.S. and Ph.D at the University of Maryland, Epps was awarded a NASA GRSP Fellowship and went on to publish many academic works which have been highly cited.[7] Her research was focused in the area of materials 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.[9][10]

After graduating, Epps worked in research at Ford Motor Company, then as a Technical Intelligence Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency.[5] Her work at the Ford Motor Company, resulted in a provisional patent involving the application of magnetostrictive actuators to reduce vibrations in the suspension control arms, and later, a US patent for detection of the location of a frontal collision in an automobile.[11] She worked at the CIA for seven years, including deployments to Iraq.[12]

NASA career

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In June 2009, Epps was selected as an astronaut candidate for the 20th class of NASA astronauts and later qualified in 2011.[1] Her training included extensive Russian, spacewalk (EVA) and robotics training, along with geology.[13] She has also completed T-38 jet training and has attended the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).[13]

Epps subsequently served as an aquanaut aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory during the NEEMO 18 undersea exploration mission for nine days starting on July 21, 2014.[14][15] She has also participated in geologic studies in Hawaii.[13] Epps has worked with the Generic Joint Operation Panel as a representative, which included work on crew efficiency on the ISS.[13] This work resulted in her winning the Johnson Space Center Director's Innovation Group Achievement Award in 2013.[13] She has also worked as CAPCOM for Mission Control, including serving as lead CAPCOM, and currently serves in ISS Operations Branch.[6] Epps has also completed training in winter and water survival in Star City, Russia.[16]

ISS Expeditions 56/57 and ESA

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On January 4, 2017, NASA announced that Epps would be assigned as a flight engineer to the International Space Station (ISS) in mid-2018 for Expeditions 56 and 57, but on January 16, 2018, NASA announced that Epps had been replaced by her backup Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor and would instead be "considered for assignment to future missions".[17] 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."[18] The Washington Post stated that "Last-minute crew changes are not unusual at NASA,"[19] although Epps’ brother blamed racism for her removal.[20][21]

In 2019, Epps completed the ESA CAVES training program simulating the demands of exploring unknown terrains like those of the Moon and Mars.[22][23] Epps is the second woman to participate in CAVES, following fellow NASA astronaut, Jessica Meir.[24][25][26]

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.[27][28] She is currently a Member of the Society for Science & the Public, in addition to the AIAA.[13] Epps was a special guest at the 77th World Science Fiction Convention in Dublin, Ireland.[29]

Jeanette Epps (right) speaking on a panel at Dublin 2019, an Irish Worldcon

Boeing Starliner-1

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On August 25, 2020, NASA announced that Epps would join Starliner-1, the first operational mission of Boeing's Starliner to the ISS, which was delayed from its scheduled launch in the summer of 2021.[30][31] According to The 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 by Jessica Watkins in 2022.[32][33][34] African-American astronauts were members of Space Shuttle crews to the ISS while the station was being constructed, but until Victor Glover went to the station in May 2021, none had made an extended stay as a crew member.[34][35]

Epps began cross-training on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft as the Starliner-1 mission kept getting delayed.[36]

SpaceX Crew-8

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In August 2023, NASA announced that Epps would fly as a Mission Specialist on SpaceX Crew-8, a half-year mission to the ISS that launched on March 4, 2024 onboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour.[37] The mission made her the second African-American woman to be part of a long-duration mission onboard the ISS.[38] The mission spent extra time in space because of a month-long delay in launching SpaceX Crew-9.[39] They then spent a few extra weeks removing seating and other equipment in Endeavour that was needed for Boeing Crew Flight Test mission astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore.[40] Weather in the landing zones then caused further delays, but Epps and her crew mates finally splashed down off of the coast of Pensacola, Florida on October 25, 2024.[41] 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.[39]

Awards and honors

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Honorary doctorates

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Selected publications

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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.[13][9]

  • Epps, J. and Chopra, I., "Methodology for In-flight Tracking of Helicopter Rotor Blades Using Shape Memory Alloy Actuators, Journal of the American Helicopter Society, Vol. 49, No. 2, April 2004, pp. 192-200.[9][10]
  • Epps, J. J., and Chandra, R., "Shape Memory Alloy Actuation for Active Tuning of Composite Beams," Smart Materials and Structures Journal, 6 (1997), p. 251-256.[9]
  • Epps, J. J., and Chandra, R., "The Natural Frequencies of Rotating Composite Beams with Tip Sweep," Journal of the American Helicopter Society, Vol. 41, No. 1, January 1996, pp. 29–36.[9]

See also

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References

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Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

  1. ^ a b NASA HQ (June 29, 2009). "NASA Selects New Astronauts for Future Space Exploration". NASA. Archived from the original on August 1, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Syracuse native, a Le Moyne graduate, trains to be an astronaut". syracuse.com. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  3. ^ "Mammie Jackson's Obituary on Syracuse Post Standard". Syracuse Post Standard. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  4. ^ Epps, Mr Henry Harrison Jr. (June 14, 2015). Second Chance Connections Inc Handbook: Restoration Manuel. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 9781514352489.
  5. ^ a b "JEANETTE J. EPPS: Biographical data". NASA. May 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c "Jeanette J. Epps Oral History". NASA. February 16, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d "Aero Alum and NASA Astronaut Jeanette Epps speaks at UMD". aero.umd.edu. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  8. ^ Harless, Josh. "Universe of Possibilities". Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Google Scholar". scholar.google.com. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Jeanette J Epps; Inderjit Chopra (February 2001). "In-flight tracking of helicopter rotor blades using shape memory alloy actuators". Smart Materials and Structures. 10 (1): 104–111. Bibcode:2001SMaS...10..104E. doi:10.1088/0964-1726/10/1/310. ISSN 0964-1726. S2CID 250829326.
  11. ^ US 7321817, Prakah-Asante, Kwaku O.; Rao, Manoharprasad K. & Strumolo, Gary S. et al., "Automobile frontal collision location detection for coordinated activation of safety systems", published 2008-01-22, assigned to Ford Global Technologies LLC 
  12. ^ "Nasa removes US astronaut from ISS mission". bbc.com. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j NASA PAO (February 18, 2016). "Jeanette J. Epps (PH.D.) NASA Astronaut". NASA PAO Biographies. Washington, D.C.: National Space and Aeronautics Administration. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  14. ^ "NASA Announces Two Upcoming Undersea Missions". NASA. June 10, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  15. ^ Bergin, Chris (June 11, 2014). "NEEMO returns with two new underwater missions". NASASpaceflight. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  16. ^ "Meet the cavenauts – Jeanette Epps". Caves & pangaea blog. September 12, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  17. ^ Northon, Karen (January 18, 2018). "Press release 18-004: NASA Announces Updated Crew Assignments for Space Station Missions". NASA Public Affairs Office (Press release). Washington, D.C.: National Space and Aeronautics Administration. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  18. ^ "NASA removes astronaut Jeanette Epps, Syracuse high school grad, from flight crew". syracuse.com. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  19. ^ Kaplan, Sarah (January 22, 2018). "NASA pulled this astronaut from a space station crew. Her brother blames racism". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  20. ^ "NASA's Jeanette Epps' brother blames racism for why she got removed from her upcoming mission". Newsweek. January 21, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  21. ^ "NASA faces calls for reinstatement of first African American on International Space Station crew". Houston Chronicle. January 22, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  22. ^ "CAVES and Pangaea". www.esa.int. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  23. ^ Sauro, Francesco; De Waele, Jo; Payler, Samuel J.; Vattano, Marco; Sauro, Francesco Maria; Turchi, Leonardo; Bessone, Loredana (July 1, 2021). "Speleology as an analogue to space exploration: The ESA CAVES training programme". Acta Astronautica. 184: 150–166. Bibcode:2021AcAau.184..150S. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2021.04.003. hdl:11585/819077. ISSN 0094-5765. S2CID 234819922.
  24. ^ "Meet the cavenauts – Jeanette Epps – Caves & pangaea blog". Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  25. ^ "A helping hand in the dark – Caves & pangaea blog". Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  26. ^ "A new journey into Earth for space exploration". Caves & pangaea blog. September 11, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  27. ^ "WIAA meets Jeanette Epps and Su Curley! – WIAA". blog.umd.edu. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  28. ^ "Epps to Deliver Winter Commencement Speech". enme.umd.edu. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  29. ^ "Dublin 2019-an Irish Worldcon: Special Guests". Dublin 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  30. ^ Roston, Michael (June 2, 2023). "Boeing and NASA Delay Launch of Starliner Astronaut Spacecraft Again". The New York Times. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  31. ^ Potter, Sean (August 25, 2020). "Astronaut Jeanette Epps Joins First Operational Boeing Crew Mission". NASA. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  32. ^ Najib, Shafiq (April 27, 2022). "NASA Astronaut Jessica Watkins Makes History as First Black Woman on International Space Station Mission". People. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  33. ^ "NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 Mission". blogs.nasa.gov. October 14, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  34. ^ a b Waller, Allyson (November 15, 2020). "Victor Glover will be the first Black crew member on the space station". The New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2020. 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.
  35. ^ Whiting, Melanie (February 4, 2016). "Victor J. Glover, Jr. (Captain, U.S. Navy) NASA Astronaut". NASA. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  36. ^ Potter, Sean (June 16, 2022). "NASA Updates Astronaut Assignments for Boeing Starliner Test Flight". NASA. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  37. ^ "Space Station Assignments Out for NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 Mission". August 5, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  38. ^ Howell, Elizabeth (August 4, 2023). "NASA selects astronauts for SpaceX Crew-8 mission to International Space Station". Space.com. New York: Future PLC. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  39. ^ a b Foust, Jeff (October 25, 2024). "Crew-8 returns to Earth". SpaceNews. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  40. ^ Clark, Stephen (October 25, 2024). "Astronaut hospitalized after returning from 235-day space mission". Ars Technica. New York: Condé Nast. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  41. ^ Harwood, William (October 25, 2024). "Returning astronauts taken to "local medical facility" after initial checks aboard recovery ship". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  42. ^ Yolanda Adams, Jeanette Epps among honorary members inducted into AKA
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