Shannon Walker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shannon Walker | |
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| NASA Astronaut | |
| Nationality | American |
| Status | Active |
| Born | June 4, 1965 Houston, Texas |
| Other occupation | Physicist |
| Selection | 2004 NASA Group 19 |
| Missions | None |
Shannon Walker is an American scientist and a NASA astronaut.
Walker, born June 4, 1965 in Houston, Texas. Her recreational interests include cooking, soccer, running, weight training, flying, camping, and travel. Her mother, Sherry Walker, resides in Boerne, Texas. Her father, Robert Walker, is deceased. She is married to a fellow NASA astronaut, the Australian-born Andy Thomas. She is a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots.
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[edit] Education
Walker graduated from Westbury High School in Houston in 1983[1]; received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics from Rice University in Houston in 1987; received a Masters of Science and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Space Physics from Rice University in 1992 and 1993 respectively.
[edit] NASA career
Walker began her professional career with the Rockwell Space Operations Company at the Johnson Space Center in 1987 as a robotics flight controller for the Space Shuttle Program. She worked several Space Shuttle missions as a flight controller in the Mission Control Center, including STS-27, STS-32, STS-51, STS-56, STS-60, STS-61, and STS-66. From 1990 to 1993, Walker took a leave of absence from the Johnson Space Center to attend graduate school, where her area of study was the solar wind interaction with the Venusian atmosphere. In 1995 she joined the NASA civil service and began working in the International Space Station (ISS) Program at the Johnson Space Center. Dr. Walker worked in the area robotics integration, working with the ISS International Partners in the design and construction of the robotics hardware for the Space Station. In 1998 she joined the ISS Mission Evaluation Room (MER) as a manager for coordinating on-orbit problem resolution for the International Space Station. In 1999, Walker moved to Moscow, Russia to work with the Russian Space Agency and its contractors in the areas of avionics integration for the ISS as well as integrated problem solving for the ISS. She returned to Houston in 2000 after a year in Russia and became the technical lead for the ISS MER as well as the Deputy Manager of the On-Orbit Engineering Office. Most recently, prior to selection as an astronaut candidate, Walker was the Acting Manager of the On-Orbit Engineering Office.
Selected by NASA as an Astronaut Candidate in May 2004. In February 2006 she completed Astronaut Candidate Training that included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training, T-38 flight training, and water and wilderness survival training. Completion of this initial training qualifies her for various technical assignments within the Astronaut Office and future flight assignment as a mission specialist.
[edit] Awards and honors
Goethe Institute Scholarship for Study Abroad, Rice Fellowship for Graduate Study, Rockwell Sustained Superior Performance Award; seven Group Achievement Awards for work in the International Space Station (ISS) Program; three Going the Extra Mile Awards for work in the ISS Program; a Space Flight Awareness Award for contributions to the ISS Program; and nine Performance Bonus Awards.
