Astronaut Biography: Joan E. Higginbotham

NASA astronaut Joan Higginbotham poses with a T-38 jet during a photo session. CREDIT: NASA/JSC.

NAME: Joan E. Higginbotham
NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born in Chicago, Illinois. She enjoys body building (weightlifting), cycling, music, motivational speaking.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, Chicago, Illinois, in 1982; received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, in 1987, a Masters of Management from Florida Institute of Technology in 1992, and a Masters in Space Systems from Florida Institute of Technology in 1996.

ORGANIZATIONS: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., The Gulf Coast Apollo Chapter of the Links, Inc.

AWARDS: NASA Exceptional Service Medal; Keys to the Cities of Cocoa and Rockledge, Florida; Group Achievement Award for STS-26 Return to Flight; Kennedy Space Center Public Affairs Certificate of Appreciation for Service; Commendation of Merit for Service to the Department of Defense (DOD) Missions; Presidential Sports Award in bicycling and weight training; Outstanding Woman of the Year Award; Outstanding Performance 1992, 1993, 1995; National Technical Association's 50 Distinguished Scientists and Engineers; Florida Institute of Technology's Distinguished Alumni for 1997; Southern Illinois University's Distinguished Alumni; Essence Magazine's Top 50 Women of 2004.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Joan Higginbotham began her career in 1987 at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, as a Payload Electrical Engineer in the Electrical and Telecommunications Systems Division.

Within six months she became the lead for the Orbiter Experiments (OEX) on OV-102, the space shuttle Columbia. She later worked on the shuttle payload bay reconfiguration for all shuttle missions and conducted electrical compatibility tests for all payloads flown aboard the shuttle.

She was also tasked by KSC management to undertake several special assignments where she served as the Executive Staff Assistant to the Director of Shuttle Operations and Management, led a team of engineers in performing critical analysis for the space shuttle flow in support of a simulation model tool, and worked on an interactive display detailing space shuttle processing procedures at Spaceport USA (Kennedy Space Center's Visitors Center).

Higginbotham then served as backup orbiter project engineer for OV-104, space shuttle Atlantis, where she participated in the integration of the orbiter docking station (ODS) into the space shuttle used during Shuttle/Mir docking missions. Two years later, she was promoted to lead orbiter project engineer for OV-102, Space Shuttle Columbia. In this position, she held the technical lead government engineering position in the firing room where she supported and managed the integration of vehicle testing and troubleshooting. She actively participated in 53 space shuttle launches during her 9-year tenure at Kennedy Space Center.

Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in April 1996, Joan Higginbotham reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996.

Since that time, she had been assigned technical duties in the Payloads & Habitability Branch, the Shuttle Avionics & Integration Laboratory (SAIL), and the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Operations (Ops) Support Branch, where she tested various modules of the International Space Station for operability, compatibility, and functionality prior to launch.

She worked in the Astronaut Office CAPCOM (Capsule Communicator) Branch in the startup and support of numerous space station missions and space shuttle missions. She was also assigned to the Robotics Branch. Her last assignment was as the Lead for the International Space Station Systems Crew Interfaces Section. Joan is assigned to the crew of STS-116 where her primary task will be to operate the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS).

Last updated: June 2006

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