UCSD alum headed for International Space Station mission

Posted: Apr 20, 2019 / 05:37 PM PDT / Updated: Apr 21, 2019 / 08:38 PM PDT

Astronaut Jessica Meir during a training exercise. The UCSD alum has been tapped for a six-month mission on the ISS.
(Photo: James Blair/NASA)

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SAN DIEGO — UC San Diego graduate Jessica Meir has been tapped for a six-month mission on the International Space Station.

Meir has dreamed of traveling to space since she was a first-grader, and that dream will finally be realized in September when she co-pilots a Soyuz spacecraft to the space station, the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. She’ll remain on ISS for six months doing scientific research.

Meir earned a doctorate in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD in 2009, according to her NASA bio. She started working with the agency in 2000 and completed astronaut candidate training in July 2015.

Meir’s background expertise is based in research on the physiology of animals in extreme environments.

In a video posted by the ISS Twitter account, Meir spoke more about her excitement for the voyage:

First time flyer: NASA’s @Astro_Jessica Meir will launch on her maiden voyage to the space station this fall. 🚀 Amidst all the training and preparation, she’s still working to revel in the excitement! Info: https://t.co/R0OPKUfGJ1 pic.twitter.com/oMwH6fOsfx

— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) April 17, 2019