Ellen Takes Flight: The Life of Astronaut Ellen Ochoa

A biography celebrating the life of astronaut, and former director of the Johnson Space Center, Ellen Ochoa, the first Latina in Space. Graduating at the top of her high school and college classes, thanks to encouragement from her mother, Ellen went on to study electrical engineering in graduate school. By age 30 she was an accomplished engineer and when NASA started to accept women and people of color into the astronaut program, Ellen soon embarked on a new career. Her first mission was on board the Discovery, the only woman aboard the space shuttle, making Ellen the first Latina to reach outer space.

The Astronaut With A Song For The Stars: The Story Of Dr. Ellen Ochoa (Amazing Scientists)

The incredible true story of Dr. Ellen Ochoa, American space pioneer and former director of the Johnson Space Center. The daughter of immigrants, Ellen always wanted to become a professional flutist while growing up. However, those dreams changed when she got to college and discovered engineering. While she was told that engineering was not a field of study for women, she did not let that deter her from her new dreams, which ultimately led to her becoming a NASA astronaut, and the first Hispanic woman to reach outer space.