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Biographical Data
JOSEPH M. ACABA
Chief
of the Astronaut Office at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston
PERSONAL DATA: Born in 1967 in Inglewood, California and raised in Anaheim, California where his parents Ralph and Elsie still reside. Enjoys outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and scuba diving. Also enjoys reading, especially science fiction.
EDUCATION: Esperanza High School, Anaheim, California, 1985; B.S., Geology, University of California-Santa Barbara, 1990; M.S., Geology, University of Arizona, 1992
ORGANIZATIONS: International Technology Education Association and Florida Association of Science Teachers.
EXPERIENCE: United States Marine Corps, Reserves. Worked as a hydro-geologist in Los Angeles, California. Primarily worked on Superfund sites and was involved the assessment and remediation of groundwater contaminants. Spent 2 years in the United States Peace Corps as an Environmental Education Awareness Promoter in the Dominican Republic. Served as the Island Manager of the Caribbean Marine Research Center at Lee Stocking Island in the Exumas, Bahamas. Shoreline Revegetation Coordinator in Vero Beach, Florida, planning, designing, and implementing a mangrove revegetation project. One year of high school experience at Melbourne High School, Florida and four years of middle school experience as a math and science teacher at Dunnellon Middle School, Florida.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected as a Mission Specialist by NASA in May 2004. In February 2006 he 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. Upon completion of his training, Acaba was assigned to the Hardware Integration Team in the Space Station Branch working technical issues with European Space Agency (ESA) hardware. Currently he is assigned as a mission specialist on the STS-119 mission, targeted for launch in February 2009. The flight will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and truss element to the International Space Station.
SUMMARY: (born May 17, 1967) is an American educator, hydrogeologist, and NASA astronaut. In May 2004, he became the first person of Puerto Rican ancestry to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate, when he was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Training Group 19. He completed his training on February 10, 2006, and was assigned to STS-119, which flew from March 15 to 28, 2009, to deliver the final set of solar arrays to the International Space Station. He is the first person of Boricua origin, and the twelfth of fifteen people of Ibero-american heritage to have flown to space.
Acabá served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station, having launched on May 15, 2012. He arrived at the space station on May 17 and returned to Earth on September 17, 2012. Acaba returned to the International Space Station in 2017 as a member of Expedition 53/54. In 2023, Acaba was appointed the Chief of the Astronaut Office.