Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger
Born
Dorothy Marie Metcalf

(1975-05-15) May 15, 1975 (age 48)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
EducationWhitman College (BS)
University of Washington (MS)
Space career
NASA astronaut
Time in space
15d 2h 47m
SelectionNASA Group 19 (2004)
MissionsSTS-131
Mission insignia

Dorothy Marie "Dottie" Metcalf-Lindenburger (born May 2, 1975) is a retired American astronaut. She was a science teacher at Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver, Washington[1] when she was selected in 2004 as an educator mission specialist. She was the first Space Camp alumna to become an astronaut.

Early life and career

Dorothy Metcalf was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado to Joyce and Keith Metcalf.[2]

Metcalf graduated from Fort Collins High School, Fort Collins, Colorado. She went on to attend Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where she studied geology. As an undergrad, she undertook research with the KECK Consortium for two summers. In 1995, she worked in Wyoming mapping the last glaciations of Russell Creek, and in 1996 she mapped and determined the petrology of the rocks in the Wet Mountain region of Colorado. She graduated from Whitman College in 1997.

She received her teaching certification at Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington in 1999. Metcalf spent five years teaching earth science and astronomy at Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver, Washington. She spent three years of coaching cross-country at the high school level, and two years of coaching Science Olympiad.

In 2000, she married Jason Lindenburger, a fellow Whitman College graduate and educator, from Pendleton, Oregon. They have one daughter together.

In 2016, Metcalf-Lindenburger earned her master's degree in geology from the University of Washington.

She is a member of the organizations International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, Phi Beta Kappa, the National Education Association, and The Mars Generation.

Honors

NASA career

Metcalf-Lindenburger was selected by NASA in May 2004 as an astronaut candidate. Astronaut candidate training includes orientation briefings and tours, numerous scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training, T-38 flight training, and water and wilderness survival training. Successful completion of this training in February 2006 qualified her as a NASA Astronaut. She served as a mission specialist on STS-131, an April 2010 Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station. The mission's primary payload was the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module.

The three astronauts of STS-131 (Metcalf-Lindenburger on the top left) and Tracy Caldwell of ISS Expedition 23, the first time four women were in space at the same time.[4]

On July 20, 2009, Metcalf-Lindenburger sang the national anthem at the Houston Astros game against the St. Louis Cardinals in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. She has been a long-time lead singer with the all-astronaut rock band, "Max Q".

On April 16, 2012, NASA announced that Metcalf-Lindenburger would command the NEEMO 16 undersea exploration mission aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory, scheduled to begin on June 11, 2012, and last twelve days.[5] The NEEMO 16 crew successfully "splashed down" at 11:05 am on June 11.[6] On the morning of June 12, Metcalf-Lindenburger and her crewmates officially became aquanauts, having spent over 24 hours underwater.[7] The crew safely returned to the surface on June 22.[8]

Metcalf-Lindenburger retired from NASA on June 13, 2014, to live and work in the Seattle area.

Spaceflights

STS-131 Discovery (April 5 to 20, 2010), a resupply mission to the International Space Station, was launched at night from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. On arrival at the station, Discovery's crew dropped off more than 27,000 pounds of hardware, supplies and equipment, including a tank full of ammonia coolant that required three spacewalks to hook up, new crew sleeping quarters and three experiment racks. On the return journey, Leonardo, the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) inside Discovery's payload bay, was packed with more than 6,000 pounds of hardware, science results and trash. The STS-131 mission was accomplished in 15 days, 2 hours, 47 minutes and 10 seconds and traveled 6,232,235 statute miles in 238 Earth orbits.[2]

References

  1. ^ "The Eagle Has Landed! Dottie's Home." Report to the Community – Vancouver Public Schools June 2010: 4. Print.
  2. ^ a b "Biographical Data Dorothy M. Metcalf-Lindenburger NASA astronaut (former)" (PDF). NASA. March 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2021.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ "Space Camp Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
  4. ^ "Four Women will Fly in Space for the First Time in the History". Russian Federal Space Agency. April 3, 2010. Archived from the original on April 8, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  5. ^ NASA (April 16, 2012). "NASA – NASA Announces 16th Undersea Exploration Mission Dates and Crew". NASA. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  6. ^ The NEEMO Mission Management and Topside Support Team (June 11, 2012). "NEEMO 16 Mission Day 1 – Status Report" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 11, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  7. ^ The NEEMO Mission Management and Topside Support Team (June 12, 2012). "NEEMO 16 Mission Day 2 – Status Report" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 4, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  8. ^ The NEEMO Mission Management and Topside Support Team (June 22, 2012). "NEEMO 16 Mission Day 12 – Status Report" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2012.

External links

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NASA Astronaut Group 19, "The Peacocks", 2004
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