(Image of Ellen at Space Center) After going to space, Ellen continued to work at NASA and in 2012 became the first Hispanic director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

What would you bring with you on a trip to space?

(Image of Ellen playing the flute) On her first space mission she brought a flute along to play. (Image of Space Shuttle liftoff) She went to space four times on the Space Shuttles Atlantis and Discovery and worked on board the International Space Station, which orbits around our Earth. She took pictures of the ozone layer and recorded data that helped people to understand more about our atmosphere. (Images of Ellen working in space) She became an astronaut and worked to study the ozone layer, which is part of the atmosphere that protects life on Earth. (image of Ellen Ochoa in space suit) Ellen Ochoa was the first Hispanic woman to go to space when she flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1993 with NASA, the United States space agency. M: To see how all those things are connected, we’ll explore some items from both museums and we’ll read a book about the planets. Today we will be learning about Astronaut Ellen Ochoa, space exploration, and postage stamps! Maureen: I’m Maureen Leary from the National Postal Museum.Ī: We would like to welcome you to Story Time with the Smithsonian. Ann: I’m Ann Caspari from the National Air and Space Museum.

Us solar system stamp sheet