SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A NASA astronaut with San Diego ties is heading to space for the first time.
Jessica Meir, who received her Doctorate in Marine Biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego in 2009, is part of a three-person team that blasted off into space Wednesday morning to work on the International Space Station (ISS).
The crew boarded a Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft that launched from Kazakhstan, just south of Russia, at 6:57 a.m. Pacific time. NASA officials said the flight from Earth to the ISS was set to last about six hours.
Meir has been in Russia for the past year and a half for training to finally realize her childhood dream. She will be on the ISS for about six months to conduct various experiments, including tests on the effects of space on the human body.
According to her NASA biography, Meir was selected to become a part of the NASA program in 2013. She has a biology degree from Brown University and a master’s degree in space studies from the International Space University.
Three space travelers, including @Astro_Jessica, launched this morning and are on the way to @Space_Station. They'll reach their new home in space this afternoon!
📸 Images from @NASAHQPhoto: https://t.co/YEKDG2SX7f
📺 Live docking coverage at 3pm ET: https://t.co/8b3Am6OM0z pic.twitter.com/omg1dxM1Nb— NASA (@NASA) September 25, 2019
.@Astro_Jessica, @Astro_Hazzaa and Oleg Skripochka completed their flight to the station and docked at 3:42pm ET today. They will meet the Exp 60 crew when the hatches open at 5:45pm. Read more... https://t.co/YNPAJpxGIr pic.twitter.com/TYWihtyCaW
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) September 25, 2019
