1. NASA Astronaut: Patricia Robertson
2. Career before NASA
3. NASA Career
4. Spaceflights
5. Awards and Honors
6. Personal Life

NASA Astronaut: Patricia Robertson

Early Life and Education

Patricia Robertson was born on July 17, 1959, in Springfield, Missouri. She graduated from Carthage High School in 1977 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Southwest Missouri State University in 1980. She went on to obtain a Master of Science in Chemistry from the University of Missouri in 1982 and a Doctorate in Analytical Chemistry from Washington State University in 1990.

Career before NASA

Prior to joining NASA, Robertson worked as an engineer at Eagle-Picher Industries from 1982 to 1984. She then held a similar position at a division of Boeing Aerospace from 1984 to 1994.

NASA Career

In December 1994, Robertson was selected as a NASA astronaut candidate. She completed general space training at NASA's Johnson Space Center from March 1995 to March 1997.

Spaceflights

Robertson flew into space twice:

- STS-91 (June 2-12, 1998):A 9-day, 19-hour mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Robertson served as a mission specialist and helped dock with the Russian space station Mir.

- STS-99 (February 11-22, 2000):An 11-day, 5-hour mission aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Robertson once again served as a mission specialist, conducting topographic surveys of Earth's surface.

Over her two flights, Robertson logged a total of 21 days, 1 hour, 33 minutes, and 34 seconds in space.

Awards and Honors

For her contributions to space exploration, Robertson has received the NASA Space Flight Medal twice, in 1998 and 2000.

Personal Life

Patricia Robertson is married to John Kavand. They have two children. Her hobbies include skiing, hiking, horseback riding, windsurfing, scuba diving, and music.

Cosmos