SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Ellen Ochoa made history in 1993 when she became the first Latina to travel to space. However, her journey to the stars wasn’t without challenges.
“I know I certainly wasn’t encouraged to go into that and in fact there were people who really tried to discourage me,” Ochoa said.
Ochoa, a veteran astronaut and former director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, shared her experiences during the Latino Legacy Foundation’s Storytelling Series at San Diego State University. She described to ABC 10News the exhilarating experience of her first launch into space
“The actual launch is very exciting, a lot of thrust and we build up to 3Gs in about a minute and a half or so,” Ochoa said.
The journey from launch to orbit happens remarkably fast.
“Only takes 8.5 minutes and we’re going 17,500 mph,” Ochoa said.
Throughout her career, Ochoa has been aware of the barriers facing women in science and space exploration.
“A lot of times they get the message that this isn’t really something for women,” Ochoa said.
She emphasized the importance of countering these negative messages.
“It’s important to counter those and so that they hear other voices and realize women can do those things. Women have done those things. If that’s something that you want to learn more about, now is the time to do it,” Ochoa said.
The Latino Legacy Foundation created the Storytelling Series six years ago to highlight contributions from the Latino community.
“It captures the history of the Latinos contribution to this county, to this state, to this country, and to the world, and we’re very proud of it,” said Richard Ybarra, founding vice chair of the Latino Legacy Foundation.
Ybarra sees the event as an opportunity for inspiration and connection.
“It’s really a joy to do that, to bring together leaders and feed them because everyone in the audience has a story. They’re part of it, whether they’re recognizing it or not,” Ybarra said.
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