Christina Koch
Christina Koch | |
---|---|
![]() Koch wearing an EMU suit | |
Born | Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. | January 29, 1979
Status | Active |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | North Carolina State University |
Space career | |
NASA Astronaut | |
Time in space | Currently in space |
Selection | 2013 NASA Group |
Total EVAs | 4 |
Total EVA time | 27h 48min |
Missions | Soyuz MS-12/Soyuz MS-13 (Expedition 59/60/61) |
Mission insignia | Soyuz MS-12 logo ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christina Hammock Koch (/koʊk/; born January 29, 1979) is an American engineer and NASA astronaut of the class of 2013.[1][2] She received Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics, and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University.[3] She also did advanced study while working for the Goddard Space Flight Center. Just before becoming an astronaut, she served with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as Station Chief for American Samoa.[4] On March 14, 2019, she launched to the International Space Station as a Flight Engineer on Expedition 59, 60 and 61. On October 18, 2019, Koch and Jessica Meir were the first women to participate in an all-female spacewalk.
Early life and education
Christina was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan[5] and raised in Jacksonville, North Carolina[6] by parents Barbara Johnsen of Frederick, Maryland, and Dr. Ronald Hammock of Jacksonville, North Carolina.[7] Koch's childhood dream was to become an astronaut.[8]
Koch graduated from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham in 1997, and then enrolled at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, from which she earned two Bachelor of Science degrees, in Electrical Engineering and Physics (2001), and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (2002).[9][7] In 2001, she became a graduate of the NASA Academy program at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).[7]
Research and training
Koch has worked in the space science instrument development and remote scientific field engineering fields. During her time working as an electrical engineer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics, she contributed to scientific instruments on several NASA missions that studied astrophysics and cosmology.[7] During this time, she also served as Adjunct Faculty at Montgomery College in Maryland and led a Physics Laboratory course.[7]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Astronaut_Candidates_Light_a_Fire_%2839330542634%29.jpg/240px-Astronaut_Candidates_Light_a_Fire_%2839330542634%29.jpg)
Koch worked as a Research Associate in the United States Antarctic Program from 2004 to 2007, spending three-and-a-half years traveling the Arctic and Antarctic regions.[7][10] She completed a winter-over season at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station where she experienced minus-111 degree temperatures.[10] She completed an additional season at Palmer Station. While in Antarctica, Koch served as a member of the Firefighting Teams and Ocean/Glacier Search and Rescue Teams.[7] She has described her time in the South Pole as challenging mentally and physically:[10] "[This] means going months without seeing the sun, with the same crew, and without shipments of mail or fresh food. The isolation, absence of family and friends, and lack of new sensory inputs are all conditions that you must find a strategy to thrive within."[11]
From 2007 to 2009, Koch worked as an Electrical Engineer in the Space Department of the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University focusing on space science instrument development.[7] She contributed to instruments studying radiation particles for NASA missions, including the Juno and Van Allen Probes.[7] The following year, Koch completed tours of Palmer Station in Antarctica and multiple winter seasons at Summit Station in Greenland.[7] In 2012, she worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in two capacities: first as a Field Engineer at NOAA's Global Monitoring Division Baseline Observatory in Barrow Alaska, and then as Station Chief of the American Samoa Observatory.[7]
Astronaut career
Koch graduated from the NASA Academy program at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in 2001. She worked as an Electrical Engineer in the Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics at GSFC from 2002 to 2004.[12]
In June 2013, Koch was selected by NASA as part of Astronaut Group 21. She completed training in July 2015, making her available for future missions.[2] Her Astronaut Candidate Training included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in International Space Station systems, spacewalks, robotics, physiological training, T‐38 flight training, and water and wilderness survival training.[7]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Expedition_59_welcoming_ceremony.jpg/220px-Expedition_59_welcoming_ceremony.jpg)
On March 14, 2019, Koch launched to the International Space Station on Soyuz MS-12, alongside Aleksey Ovchinin and Nick Hague, to join the Expedition 59/60/61 crew.[13]
Koch was scheduled to perform her first EVA on March 29; this would have been the first all-female spacewalk alongside Anne McClain, but spacesuit sizing issues resulted in it being reassigned from McClain to Hague.[14] Koch performed the first all-female spacewalk with Jessica Meir on October 18, as part of a lengthy series of upgrades to the ISS’ power systems and physics observatories.[15][16][17]
On April 17, 2019, due to reassignment schedules with the Commercial Crew Development program, her mission was extended to February 2020 return to Earth after 335 days – which will be the longest single continuous stay in space for a woman, succeeding Peggy Whitson at 289 days. In addition, for a first-time astronaut, this NASA mission change has never happened before.[18][19][20]
She along with astronaut Jessica Meir have successfully completed the first ever all-female spacewalk outside the International Space Station in October 2019.[21]
Personal life
Koch resides in Texas with her husband, Robert Koch.[3] She enjoys backpacking, rock climbing, paddling, sailing, running, yoga, community service, photography and travel.[7]
Awards and honors
Koch has won a number of awards during her tenure at NASA and Johns Hopkins, including the NASA Group Achievement Award, NASA Juno Mission Jupiter Energetic Particle Detector Instrument, 2012; Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Invention of the Year nominee, 2009; United States Congress Antarctic Service Medal with Winter‐Over distinction, 2005; NASA Group Achievement Award, NASA Suzaku Mission X‐ray Spectrometer Instrument, 2005; Astronaut Scholar, Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, 2000 to 2001.[7]
References
- ^ Roberts, Jason (August 3, 2017). "2013 Astronaut Class". NASA. Archived from the original on June 21, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
- ^ a b "NASA's Newest Astronauts Complete Training". NASA. July 9, 2015.
- ^ a b "Christina Hammock Koch NASA Astronaut". NASA. November 27, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ "NASA announces eight new astronauts, half are women". Phys.org. June 17, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ Raven, Benjamin (March 8, 2019). "NASA's first all-women spacewalk features Michigan native". mlive.com. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ Rupinta, Amber (February 26, 2019). "NASA astronaut, NC State grad Christina Koch ready for first space flight in March". ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Whiting, Melanie (November 27, 2015). "Christina Hammock Koch NASA Astronaut". NASA. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
- ^ Staff, Daily News. "Jacksonville astronaut will 'carry the dreams of everyone' to space". The Daily News. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ "Alumna Astronaut Prepares to Launch to the ISS • Electrical and Computer Engineering". NC State University | Electrical and Computer Engineering. February 20, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ a b c Digital, M. A. Z. (July 30, 2018). "N.C. State grad joins space race". Business North Carolina. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ "Antarctica Provides ICE to Study Behavior Effects in Astronauts – SpaceRef". SpaceRef. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ "Five Facts about Space Camp Astronaut Alumna Christina Koch!". Space Camp. U.S. Space and Rocket Center. March 8, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ Gebhardt, Chris (March 14, 2019). "Soyuz MS-12 docks with the Space Station". NASASpaceflight.com.
- ^ Berger, Eric (March 26, 2019). "It's unfortunate NASA canceled the all-female EVA, but it's the right decision". Ars Technica.
- ^ "NASA Astronauts Spacewalk Outside the International Space Station on Oct. 18". NASA. October 18, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019 – via YouTube.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Voor het eerst maakt vrouwelijk duo ruimtewandeling bij ISS" [For the first time a female duo is taking a space walk at ISS]. nu.nl (in Dutch). October 18, 2019.
- ^ Garcia, Mark (October 18, 2019). "NASA TV is Live Now Broadcasting First All-Woman Spacewalk". NASA Blogs. NASA. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
- ^ Northon, Karen (April 16, 2019). "NASA Announces First Flight, Record-Setting Mission". NASA. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ "NASA astronaut to set record for longest spaceflight by a woman". Agence France Press. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ Dunn, Marcia (April 17, 2019). "US astronaut to spend 11 months in space, set female record". AP NEWS. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ "Astronaut Christina Koch breaks record for longest female space mission – and wants it broken again 'as soon as possible'". The Sun. December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Christina H Koch on X
- Christina Koch on Instagram
- 5 Things You Didn't Know About Astronaut Christina Koch NASA Johnson Space Center, March 13, 2019
- NASA biography
- Living people
- American astronauts
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration personnel
- North Carolina State University alumni
- People from Jacksonville, North Carolina
- 1979 births
- North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics alumni
- People from Grand Rapids, Michigan
- American engineers
- Johns Hopkins University people
- NASA astronauts