Looking at Earth: An Astronaut's Journey

Distinguished scientist and trailblazing astronaut Dr. Kathryn Sullivan has made her career in looking at Earth from land, sea, and space. Fascinated with maps as a young child, Sullivan grew up to view the Earth from the unique perspective of the space shuttle. She was one of the first six women selected to join the NASA astronaut corps in 1978. Over the course of her NASA career, she flew on three shuttle missions and worked on countless others, becoming the first American woman to walk in space and helping to deploy the Hubble Space Telescope.

Currently, she heads the nation's premier environmental intelligence agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where today's modern-day means of looking at Earth with satellites and ocean sensors provide practical predictions about our environment. She previously served as NOAA Chief Scientist.

Sullivan was named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in 2014 and was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2004. With fellow astronaut Bruce McCandless, she was the first recipient of the National Air and Space Museum Trophy for current achievement in aerospace in 1985.

In her talk, Sullivan will discuss her life of exploration and discovery, what it’s like to fulfill her childhood dreams, and how NOAA's study of our planet helps us understand today's environmental challenges.

Read more about Sullivan's shuttle experiences in this story by Chair of the Space History Department Valerie Neal. 

This event is made possible by the generous support of Boeing.