There’s a UT Longhorn in space right now.
This week, Karen Nyberg blasted off to the International Space Station. She was the sole NASA astronaut aboard the Russian Soyuz rocket that left May 28. She was joined by Fyodor Yurchikhin with the Russian Federal Space Agency, and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency.
Nyberg earned her masters and Ph.D. from the University in the mid-90s. A UT publication notes “Nyberg’s research focused on thermal control systems in space suits that help astronauts survive in the extreme temperatures of space.” You can read an extended Q&A with Nyberg there.
The mission aboard the International Space Station is expected to last six months.
