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How do you become an astronaut? That’s what Tumble listener Margaret wants to know. We go straight to the source to get an answer: A NASA astronaut! Dr. Serena Auñon-Chancellor shares her journey to outer space with us. Starting from being a kid watching shuttle launches, to her school’s Astronaut Club, all the way to NASA’s Astronaut Candidate program, and finally to the International Space Station. Serena also shares the surprising truth about doing science research in space. Join us on her path to the stars!
Here's Margaret's video:
MEET SERENA, NASA ASTRONAUT
Dr. Serena Auñon-Chancellor is the second woman of Hispanic descent to fly in space. The first was Ellen Ochoa, who also become director of the Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston, TX. Serena told us she'd wanted to become an astronaut since watching shuttle launches.
This video features some interesting information about Serena's life and interests outside of space!
In the episode, we talked about some of the training Serena did to prepare to become an astronaut. Watch more here:
And here's a 30 minute video of Serena giving an educational talk, including a video of her time on the ISS!
We recommend this fantastic article about Serena and her medical research on the ISS, which goes more in depth about the importance of life science research in space.
Space Medicine isn't Just for Astronauts. It's for All of Us - CNet
And here's a fun article about 12 Cool Experiments Done on the ISS, from Mental Floss.
Serena conducts cancer research on board the ISS
For American astronauts, astronaut selection is the one true path.
This is a video explaining how it works, as well as the history of the process.
Meet NASA's most recent astronaut candidates, selected in 2017.
More official NASA info on applying for the job, here.
To listen our extended interview podcast episode with Serena, pledge just $1/month on Patreon.