Joseph M. Acaba
American educator, hydrogeologist, and NASA astronaut / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Joseph Michael Acabá (born May 17, 1967) is an American educator, hydrogeologist, and NASA astronaut.[1][2] In May 2004, he became the first person of Puerto Rican ancestry to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate, when he was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Training Group 19.[3] He completed his training on February 10, 2006, and was assigned to STS-119, which flew from March 15 to 28, 2009, to deliver the final set of solar arrays to the International Space Station.[4] He is the first person of Puerto Rican origin, and the twelfth of fifteen people of Ibero-american heritage to have flown to space.[5]
Joe Acabá | |
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Born | Joseph Michael Acabá (1967-05-17) May 17, 1967 (age 57) Inglewood, California, U.S. |
Education | University of California, Santa Barbara (BS) University of Arizona (MS) Texas Tech University (MEd) |
Space career | |
NASA astronaut | |
Rank | Sergeant, USMCR |
Time in space | 306d 34m |
Selection | NASA Group 19 (2004) |
Total EVAs | 3 |
Total EVA time | 19h 46m |
Missions | STS-119 Soyuz TMA-04M (Expedition 31/32) Soyuz MS-06 (Expedition 53/54) |
Mission insignia | |
Acabá served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station, having launched on May 15, 2012.[6] He arrived at the space station on May 17 and returned to Earth on September 17, 2012.[7] Acaba returned to the International Space Station in 2017 as a member of Expedition 53/54.[8] In 2023, Acaba was appointed the Chief of the Astronaut Office.