Joseph M. Acaba
Joseph Michael Acabá (born May 17, 1967) is an American educator, hydrogeologist, and NASA astronaut. In May 2004, he became the first person of Puerto Rican ancestry to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate, when he was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Training Group 19. He completed his training on February 10, 2006, and was assigned to STS-119, which flew from March 15 to 28, 2009, to deliver the final set of solar arrays to the International Space Station. He is the first person of Boricua origin, and the twelfth of fifteen people of Ibero-american heritage to have flown to space.
Joe Acabá | |
|---|---|
Joe Acabá pictured in 2008 | |
| Born | Joseph Michael Acabá May 17, 1967 Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of California, Santa Barbara (BS) University of Arizona (MS) Texas Tech University (MEd) |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Sergeant, USMCR |
Time in space | 306d 34m |
| Selection | NASA Group 19 (2004) |
Total EVAs | 3 |
Total EVA time | 19h 46m |
| Missions | STS-119 Soyuz TMA-04M (Expedition 31/32) Soyuz MS-06 (Expedition 53/54) |
Mission insignia | |
Acabá served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station, having launched on May 15, 2012. He arrived at the space station on May 17 and returned to Earth on September 17, 2012. Acaba returned to the International Space Station in 2017 as a member of Expedition 53/54. In 2023, Acaba was appointed the Chief of the Astronaut Office.