Visit Florida and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex present a unique Chat with an
Astronaut! During this experience, former NASA Astronaut Joan Higginbotham will chat about her
time in space aboard Space Shuttle Discovery in 2006.

With plenty of time for an engaging Q&A session, you are sure to feel truly acquainted
with a space pioneer and equipped with incredible stories to share for years to come. 

Joan Higginbotham is a former NASA Astronaut and Ambassador for the Kennedy Space
Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Joan is one of only five African American women to have gone to space. She was the third. She applied to be an astronaut twice and was successful on the second attempt, accepted as an astronaut candidate (“ASCAN”) in April 1996, alongside 43 other candidates, and her training began. In December 2006 she participated in the STS-116 mission aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. She joined a crew of seven as a “mission specialist” and spent 12 days in space helping to assemble and upgrade the International Space Station. She is a highly educated engineer, holding a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering as well as two master’s degrees. Today, Joan is deeply embedded in community engagement—serving on the boards of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, National Aeronautics Association, and Space Telescope Institute Council and active in sorority and civic-minded organizations. She is a passionate advocate for STEM education, regularly speaking to inspire and mentor young people,
especially girls and minorities. She is also an ambassador for the Kennedy Space Center
Visitor Complex – www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Joan retired from NASA in November 2007.

Invitation Only