Jeanette J. Epps | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 3, 1970 |
| Status | Active |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | NASA astronaut
Technical Intelligence Officer at CIA Technical Specialist at Ford Motor Company |
| Space career | |
| NASA Astronaut | |
| Selection | 2009 NASA Group |
| Missions | Boeing Starliner-1 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Aerospace engineering |
| Thesis | In-flight tracking of helicopter rotor blades with tabs using shape memory alloy actuators (2000) |
| Doctoral advisor | Inderjit Chopra |
Jeanette Jo Epps (born November 3, 1970) is an American aerospace engineer and NASA astronaut.[1][2][3] 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.[4][5] She was chosen for the 20th class of NASA astronauts in 2009, graduating in 2011.[1][4] Epps currently serves as a member of the ISS Operations Branch and has completed analog astronaut missions, including NEEMO 18 and CAVES 19.[4][6][7][8][9][10] She is the second woman and first African-American woman to have participated in CAVES.[6][9][10]
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.[11][12][13] She and her twin sister Janet excelled in math and science.[11] 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.[1][14][5][11][4][15][16]
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.[4][15] 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.[4][17][18]
After graduating, Epps worked in research at Ford Motor Company, then as a Technical Intelligence Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency.[14] 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.[4][19] She worked at the CIA for seven years, including deployments to Iraq.[20]
In June 2009, Epps was selected as an astronaut candidate[1] for the 20th class of NASA astronauts and later qualified in 2011.[14][4] Her training included extensive Russian, spacewalk (EVA) and robotics training, along with geology.[4] She has also completed T-38 jet training and has attended the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).[4]
Epps subsequently served as an aquanaut aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory during the NEEMO 18 undersea exploration mission for nine days starting July 21, 2014.[8][7] She has also participated in geologic studies in Hawaii.[4] Epps has worked with the Generic Joint Operation Panel as a representative, which included work on crew efficiency on the ISS.[4] This work resulted in the Johnson Space Center Director's Innovation Group Achievement Award in 2013.[4] She has also worked as CAPCOM for Mission Control, including serving as lead CAPCOM, and currently serves in ISS Operations Branch.[5][4] Epps has also completed training in winter and water survival in Star City, Russia.[6]
On January 4, 2017, NASA announced that Epps would be assigned as a flight engineer to the International Space Station in mid-2018 for Expeditions 56 and 57, becoming the first African American space station crew member,[21] the first African American to launch aboard the Russian Soyuz vehicle,[22] and the 15th African American to fly in space,[23] but on January 16, 2018, NASA announced that Epps had been replaced by her backup Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor, but that Epps would "be considered for assignment to future missions".[24] 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."[25] The Washington Post stated that "Last-minute crew changes are not unusual at NASA."[23][26][27]
In 2019, Epps completed the ESA CAVES training program simulating the demands of exploring unknown terrains, such as to be expected on the Moon and Mars.[9][6][10][28] Epps is the second woman to participate in CAVES, following fellow NASA astronaut, Jessica Meir.[29][30][6][9][10]
Epps also participates in public speaking and she has been a guest speaker at the University of Maryland multiple times.[15][16][31] In 2013, she gave the commencement speech for the A. James Clark School of Engineering's Winter Commencement Ceremony.[32]
She is currently a Member of the Society for Science & the Public, in addition to the AIAA.[4]
On August 25, 2020, NASA announced that Epps would join the first operational mission of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner to the International Space Station.[33] According to The New York Times, Epps "would be the first Black woman to be part of an I.S.S. crew."[34] African-American astronauts were members of space-shuttle crews during ISS construction, until Victor Glover none had become a crew member making an extended stay.[34]
NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps continues to prepare for an upcoming long duration mission aboard Starliner-1. NASA also has identified backup flight opportunities for Epps on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for additional scheduling and resource flexibility. Epps has begun cross-training on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft to prepare for this possibility.[35]
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.[4][17]
This article incorporates 
