Jessica U. Meir (1977- ) born in Caribou, was selected by NASA in 2013. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Brown University, a Master of Science in Space Studies from the International Space University, and a Doctorate in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD).
From 2000 to 2003, Dr. Meir worked for Lockheed Martin’s Human Research Facility, supporting human physiology research. During this time, she also participated in research flights on NASA’s reduced gravity aircraft and served as an aquanaut in an underwater habitat for NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO).
She was Flight Engineer on board the International Space Station in October 2019 on her first spaceflight as part of Expedition 61 and 62. She participated in the first all-woman space walk with her close friend astronaut Christina Koch.
Photo Credit: jsc2013e061553by NASA Johnson1
An early Maine “astronaut”
Robert A. Rushworth (1924-1993), born in Madison on October 9, 1924, grew up to be the second U.S. “winged” astronaut, that is the second to fly higher that 50 miles. A test pilot in the United State Air Force (USAF), he flew the rocket plane known as the X-15, in which he attained an altitude of 54 miles on June 27, 1963.
Additional resources
Jessica U. Meir (PH.D.) NASA Astronaut. NASA Biography. https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jessica-u-meir/biography (accessed October 28, 2019)