This is a list of notable Puerto Rican scientists involved in the United States Space Program, also known as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and their contributions to said program. This list is not limited to Puerto Ricans born in Puerto Rico, it also includes people of Puerto Rican descent born elsewhere. According to an article written by Margarita Santori Lopez for the official newspaper of the University of Puerto Rico's Mayagüez Campus, "Prensa RUM", as of 2003, of the 114 Hispanics working at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, 70 were Puerto Ricans or of Puerto Rican descent.[1]
Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent, both men and women, have reached top positions in NASA, serving in sensitive leadership positions. On May 6, 2004, Joseph M. Acaba became the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate, when he was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Training Group 19.[2] On an average, only the top 4% of the qualified applicants are selected as finalists, and are invited to the Johnson Space Center in Houston for interviews for a position in the Astronaut Candidate Class. Out of the finalist group, an average of only 0.63% are selected to become an Astronaut Candidate.[3] Other notable individuals who have reached finalist status include: Nitza Margarita Cintron, Astronaut Class 8 (1978),[4] Carlos Ortiz Longo, Astronaut Class 16 (1996).,[5] Enectalí Figueroa-Feliciano, Astronaut Class 19 (2004) and Class 20 (2009),[6] and Vanessa Aponte Williams, Astronaut Class 20 (2009) and Class 21 (2012).
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In May 2004 Acaba became the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate, when he was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Training Group 19.[9] He completed his training on February 10, 2006 and was assigned to STS-119, which flew from March 15 to March 28, 2009 to deliver the final set of solar arrays to the International Space Station.;[10] Statistics[11]
| Spacecraft launch | Launch date | Mission | Spacecraft landing | Landing date | Duration | Spacewalk times | Spacewalk duration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | STS-119 | Discovery STS-119 | 28 March 2009, 19:13 UTC | 12 days 19 hours 29 minutes | 2 | 12 hours 57 minutes | ||
| 2 | Soyuz TMA-04M | 17 September 2012, 02:52 UTC | 124 days 23 hours 51 minutes | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3 | Soyuz MS-06 | 28 February 2018 | 168 days 5 hours 13 minutes | 1 | 6 hours 49 minutes | |||
| 306 days 34 minutes | 3 | 19 hours 46 minutes | ||||||
Electronics Engineer, Aero-Space TechnologistEnvironmental Instruments Director at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. Alemán directs everything that is related to the environmental instruments which the United States provides to the European Space Agency in order to operate the MetOp, a European satellite that provides environmental information to both Europe and the United States.[12]
Chemical and Aerospace Engineer, Human Spaceflight Exploration Lead, Lockheed Martin SpaceDr. Vanessa Aponte Williams is the Human Spaceflight Exploration Lead of Advanced Programs, Lockheed Martin Space. She has close to 20 years of experience in the Aerospace Industry, primarily devoted to human spaceflight and systems engineering. Prior to Lockheed Martin, she worked in the areas of Advanced Life Support, as well as Controls, Dynamics and Propulsion at NASA Kennedy, Dryden, and Johnson Space Centers. She joined Lockheed Martin as a Sr. Systems Engineer in 2006; one of her most notable roles held within the Orion Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle program, where she led the Cross-Cutting Integration Team in tackling high-visibility, short-turnaround challenges. After Orion, Vanessa also led the New Technology Insertion Board as well as oversaw the technical and programmatic scrutiny of critical U.S. spaceflight assets as Risk and Opportunity Manager within the Special Programs Line of Business. Outside her career at Lockheed Martin, Vanessa has had the distinction of being selected as a finalist and undergoing the Astronaut Selection Interview process at NASA Johnson Space Center twice (2009 & 2012). Throughout her career at Lockheed Martin, Vanessa has been intimately involved with leadership development, STEM and volunteerism. She is also a former member of Rocky Mountain Rescue Group. Vanessa was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She received a B.S. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from UPR at Mayagüez and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from CU Boulder.[13]
Electronics Engineer, Aero-Space Technologist
Stationed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland for over 20 years, Rodríguez-Arroyo was the Communications System Lead Engineer for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission (LRO), launched in June 2009 and currently orbiting the Moon. Currently, Rodriguez-Arroyo is the Communications System Lead Engineer for the Magnetospheric MultiScale Mission (MMS) to be launched in 2015 and will study the electromagnetic iteration between the Sun and Earth.
Rodriguez-Arroyo earned his BSEE from the University of Puerto Rico and his MSEE from the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He was born in Peñuelas, Puerto Rico.[14]
Mechanical Engineer, Aero-Space Technologist
SWIFT satellite instrumentation Manager at NASA Goddard Space Center in Maryland. The Swift is a multi-wavelength space-based observatory dedicated to the study of gamma-ray burst (GRB) science.[1]
Electronics Engineer, Aero-Space Technologist
Stationed at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, his responsibilities include the development and application of multifunction control/display switch technology in 1983 and Development and application of a microprocessor-based I/O system for simulator use in 1984.
NASA Awards and Recognitions:
1986-Certification of Recognition (NASA Tech Brief Publication), 1987, 92-Certificate of Recognition (NASA Innovation Disclosure), 1992-NASA Team Excellence Award, 1993-Certificate of Outstanding Performance, 1995, 97-NASA Performance Award.
He is the author and or co-author of over 13 conference papers and NASA formal publications in the areas of cockpit controls and displays, use of stereoscopy in flight displays and pictorial flight displays for situation awareness enhancement.[15]
Computer Engineer, Aero-Space Technologist
System Hardware Design Engineer for the Aft-Deck Simulator and the Cockpit Motion Facilitya at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. He is also the Assistant Systems Engineer, General Aviation Simulator (reactivation) - support of the AWIN research study (1998–2002).[15]
NASA Awards and Recognitions:
1997, 2000-Achievement Award.
Chief of Space Medicine and Health Care Systems Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center.
In 1979, Cintron was the originator of the Biochemistry Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center. Cintron also served from (1979–85) as the project scientist for the Space Lab 2 mission which was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1985. Among the positions held by Cintron in NASA are "Chief of the Biomedical Operations and Research Branch in the Medical Science Division" and "Director for managing the Life Sciences Research Laboratories" in support of medical operations. In 2004 she was named "Chief of NASA's (JSC) Space Medicine and Health Care Systems Office", position which she currently holds.[16]
In 1978, Dr. Cintron became the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to become a finalist of the NASA Astronaut Selection Program.
NASA Awards and Recognitions:
"JSC Director's Commendation and Innovation Award", the centers highest award for a civil servant, the "NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement", the highest science honor given by the agency. On October 7, 2004, she was inducted into the Hispanic Engineer's National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC) Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame, located in Los Angeles, California, was established in 1998 and recognizes the contributions of Hispanics in the fields of science, engineering and technology. In 2006, she was recognized as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States by Hispanic magazine.[17] [18]
Chemical Engineer, Aero-Space Technologist
Associate Director for the Sun Earth Connections Programs
Colon is the director of the NASA program known as "Living with a Star/Solar Terrestrial Probes". He travels throughout the United States and Puerto Rico during the summers, instructing teachers of both private and public educational facilities.[1]
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland
Aerospace Engineer, Aero Space Technologist
"Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Parachute" at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
Cruz is a senior aerospace engineer in the Exploration Systems Engineering Branch at the NASA Langley Research Center. His responsibilities are focused on research and development of entry, descent, and landing (EDL) systems for robotic and human exploration missions. He was a member of the highly successful Mars Exploration Rover (MER) project that placed two rovers on the surface of Mars in 2004. His contributions to the MER project were centered on the design and qualification of the supersonic parachute.
Cruz is also a member of the Phoenix (Mars 2007), Mars Science Laboratory (Mars 2009), and Crew Exploration Vehicle EDL teams. He has undertaken research on advanced missions to Mars, including robotic airplanes, as well as having been a technical reviewer for the Genesis, Huygens, and Stardust missions. Prior to his involvement with exploration programs he conducted research on high-altitude unmanned aircraft.
Cruz holds a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech, and an S.B. from MIT, both in aerospace engineering. During his years at MIT he was involved with the Monarch and Daedalus human powered airplane teams.[15]
"Program Scientist for the Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program"
"NASA Headquarters, in Washington, D.C."
Del Castillo is the recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) award, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers.[19]
He began working in the Mississippi River plume and in the application of remote sensors to study coastal environments. Del Castillo co-edited with Drs. Richard Miller and Brent McKee, "Remote Sensing of the Coastal Environment," a book which provides extensive insight on remote sensing of coastal waters from aircraft and space-based platforms
Analyst
"Research and Program Management and Center Full Cost Program Analyst" at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Del Rio is responsible for planning and managing R&PM and for evaluating the effectiveness of its program efforts, and for the allocation of resources and funds utilization.[20]
Engineering Management
Stationed at NASA Kennedy Space Flight Center in Florida, Dr. Rey N. Diaz is a senior manager serving as the Chief of the Business Systems Division at the Kennedy Space Center. Diaz holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and a master's degree in Engineering Management both from the University of Central Florida. Prior to joining NASA in 1983, Diaz earned his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus.
For over 40 missions, Dr. Diaz was instrumental in the integration and testing of space flight systems and instruments carried on board Space Shuttle missions. In 1991, Diaz received the Silver Snoopy Award - one of the highest and most prestigious honors bestowed by the NASA's Astronaut Office and flown aboard a Space Shuttle mission, and the NASA Management award in 2017 for sustained and outstanding performance and contributions to the NASA Spaceflight programs
An expert on management systems, Dr. Diaz has delivered exceptional services and advice to institutional and organizational management. Dr Diaz led the successful implementation of the Business Management System associated with all NASA employees for the Kennedy Space Center.[21]
Dr. Diaz has been recognized for his contributions to increase awareness toward careers in Science, Technology, Math and Science and the impact of science and technology on society.
Mechanical Engineer, Aero-Space Technologist
Assistant Director of the Engineering Division of the Goddard Space Flight Center.
"In 1966, Eaton became the first Puerto Rican and graduate of the Mayagüez Campus of the University of Puerto Rico to work for NASA. Eaton retired on September 2005, after 39 years of service to the Space agency."[1]
NASA Awards and Recognitions:
2000-NASA Medal for exceptional service, 200-NASA Medal for extraordinary service.
Mechanical Engineer, Astronaut applicant
An astrophysicist at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, Figueroa's research interests revolve around the development of high-energy-resolution imaging spectrometers for space-borne applications in experimental astrophysics and cosmology."
"Figueroa is an astrophysicist who pioneered the development position-sensitive detectors and is an expert and researcher on dark matter.[22] [23] Figueroa is a researcher with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and a professor of physics MIT.[24] [25]
