Jeanette J. Epps, PhD. Pioneering Black female Aerospace Engineer and Astronaut.

She went to LeMoyne College and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics in 1992. Next, she went to the University of Maryland, where earned a Master of Science in 1994, and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering in 2000.

While at Maryland, Epps conducted rotor-craft research, supported by a NASA GSRP Fellowship. She focused on advanced materials like composites and shape memory alloys.
After her Ph.D., Epps started working in the automotive industry at Ford Motor Company. Here she got a U.S. Patent for a system detecting the location of a frontal collision, enhancing vehicle safety.

Shortly after, she moved into a career with US national security, joining the CIA as a Technical Operations Officer. While at the CIA, she analyzed foreign weapon systems and technology.

In 2009, Epps was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate. After rigorous training, she faced a setback in 2018 when she was replaced from a mission. But her spirit remained undeterred.

Her perseverance paid off with her assignment to the SpaceX Crew-8 mission, making her the first Black woman to join the ISS crew for an extended stay.

Aboard the ISS, Epps serves not just as a symbol of progress but as an active participant in groundbreaking research, managing experiments and station maintenance critical for understanding human space habitation.

Her achievements have not gone unnoticed.

Epps has received the Johnson Space Center’s Director’s Innovation Group Achievement Award, the Glenn L. Martin Medal, and was inducted into the University of Maryland's Academy of Distinguished Alumni.


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