Nicole Passonno Stott
From The Space Library
 Nicole Passonno Stott | |
| Birth Name | Nicole Passonno Stott |
|---|---|
| Birth Date | [[ ]] |
| Occupation | NASA Astronaut |
Contents |
Personal Data
Born in Albany, New York. Her hometown is Clearwater, Florida. Nicole is married with one child. She enjoys flying, snow skiing, Scuba diving, woodworking, painting, and gardening.
Education
Clearwater High School, Clearwater, Florida, 1980. B.S., Aeronautical Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 1987. M.S., Engineering Management, University of Central Florida, 1992.
Experience
Nicole began her career in 1987 as a structural design engineer with Pratt and Whitney Government Engines in West Palm Beach, Florida. She spent a year with the Advanced Engines Group performing structural analyses of advanced jet engine component designs. Nicole is an instrument rated private pilot. She is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association and the 99's Florida Suncoast Chapter.
Spaceflight Experience
NASA EXPERIENCE: In 1988, Nicole joined NASA at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida as an Operations Engineer in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF). During her time at KSC, she held a variety of positions within NASA Shuttle Processing, including Vehicle Operations Engineer; NASA Convoy Commander; Shuttle Flow Director for Endeavour; and Orbiter Project Engineer for Columbia. During her last two years at KSC, she was a member of the Space Station Hardware Integration Office and relocated to Huntington Beach, CA where she served as the NASA Project Lead for the ISS truss elements under construction at the Boeing Space Station facility. In 1998, she joined the Johnson Space Center (JSC) team in Houston, TX as a member of the NASA Aircraft Operations Division, where she served as a Flight Simulation Engineer (FSE) on the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA). Selected as a mission specialist by NASA in July 2000, Nicole reported for astronaut candidate training in August 2000. Following the completion of astronaut candidate training, she was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Station Operations Branch, where she performed crew evaluations of station payloads. She also worked as a support astronaut for the Expedition 10 crew and as an ISS CAPCOM. In April 2006 she was a crew member on the NEEMO 9 mission (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) where she lived and worked with a 6 person crew on the longest duration NEEMO mission to date for 18 days on the Aquarius undersea research habitat. The NEEMO9 mission served as an analog for future lunar operations -- the crew tested advanced space suit design concepts, robotic devices for surface-based exploration, construction and communication techniques, and advanced tele-medicine hardware and techniques. In preparation for a long duration space flight, Nicole completed a Russian language immersion class in Moscow, Russia, and ISS systems training at each of the international partner training sites in Russia, Japan, Germany, and Canada. Nicole completed her first long duration space flight as a Flight Engineer on the ISS Expeditions 20 and 21 crews (August 28 - November 29, 2009). She launched to the International Space Station on the Space Shuttle Discovery with the crew of STS-128 on August 28, 2009, and performed one spacewalk along with her STS-128 crewmate Danny Olivas with a total duration of 6 hours and 39 minutes. During her tour of duty on ISS she participated in the first track and capture of the Japanese cargo vehicle HTV, installation of the new treadmill and maintenance of the ISS systems, and conducted a wide variety of science and research activities. She returned on the Space Shuttle Atlantis with the crew of STS-129 on November 29, 2009 after logging 91 days in space. STS-133 (February 24 - March 9, 2011), was the 39th and final mission for Space Shuttle Discovery. During the 13-day flight, the Discovery crew delivered the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) and the fourth Express Logistics Carrier (ELC), including a complement of critical spare parts and supplies to the ISS. Nicole worked with Mike Barratt flying the Space Station Robotic arm for the unberth and installations of the ELC-4 and PMM. She also served as the onboard EVA crewmember directing the mission's two space walks, which were performed outside by Al Drew and Steve Bowen; and she served as flight engineer for Entry. The mission was accomplished in 202 Earth orbits, traveling 5.3 million miles in 307 hours and 3 minutes.
Special Honours
NASA Space Flight Medal; NASA Distinguished Service Medal; NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal; NASA Certificates of Commendation; NASA Performance Awards; NASA On-the-Spot Awards; Embry Riddle Aeronautical University 2009 Alumni of the Year; Aircraft Operations Division, Newt Myers Team Spirit Award; KSC Public Affairs Certificate of Appreciation for Service.
Other Information
Apr-11
