Joan Higginbotham

Infobox Astronaut| name =Joan E. Higginbotham

---

type =NASA Astronaut
status =Retired
nationality =American
date_birth =birth date and age|1964|8|3
date_death =
place_birth =Chicago, Illinois
place_death =
occupation =Engineer
rank =
selection =1996 NASA Group
time =12d 20h 53 m
mission =STS-116
insignia =|

Joan Elizabeth Higginbotham is an American engineer and a former NASA astronaut. She flew aboard Space Shuttle "Discovery" mission STS-116 as a mission specialist.Cite web|url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/higginbo.html|title=NASA biography of Joan Higginbotham|accessyear=2007|accessmonthday=November 3|publisher=NASA|year=2006|author=NASA]

Early life

Higginbotham was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended Whitney Young Magnet High School, graduating in 1982. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1987, and a Masters of Management Science (1992) and Masters in Space Systems (1996) both from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Higginbotham is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and The Links, Incorporated.

NASA career

Higginbotham started her career at the Kennedy Space Center in 1987, and worked mainly as a payload specialist in the Space Shuttle program.Cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts116/interview_higginbotham.html|title=STS-116 NASA Preflight Interview: Mission Specialist Joan Higginbotham|accessyear=2007|accessmonthday=November 3|publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|year=2006|author=NASA] She was accepted into the astronaut program in 1996, and flew on STS-116, which launched on December 9, 2006 aboard "Discovery". Higginbotham took a scarf for the Houston Dynamo on board with her during her mission.Cite web|url=http://www.mediotiempo.com/noticia.php?id_noticia=30220|title=La astronauta Higginbotham llevó al espacio una bufanda del Houston Dynamo|accessyear=2007|accessmonthday=November 3|publisher=Medio Tiempo|year=2006|author=Medio Tiempo|language=Spanish]

Joan Higginbotham was originally assigned to the crew of STS-126 targeted for launch in September, 2008.Cite web|url=http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071017/NEWS02/710170339/1007|title=From KSC worker to astronaut|accessyear=2007|accessmonthday=November 14|publisher=Florida Today|month=October 17|year=2007|author=Tood Halvorson] Cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/oct/HQ_07217_STS-126_Crew.html|title=NASA Assigns Crew for Space Station Assembly Mission|accessyear=2007|accessmonthday=October 2|publisher=NASA|year=2007|author=NASA|language=English] On November 21, 2007, NASA announced a change in the crew manifest, due to Higginbotham's decision to leave NASA to take a job in the private sector.Cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/nov/HQ_07259_STS-126_crew_change.html|title=NASA Amends Crew Assignment for STS-126 Mission|accessyear=2007|accessmonthday=November 22|publisher=NASA|year=2007|author=NASA] Donald Pettit replaced Higginbotham for STS-126.Cite web|url=http://www.itwire.com/content/view/15454/1066/|title=Crew assignments for space shuttle mission STS-126 have been revised following the resignation of an experienced astronaut.|accessyear=2007|accessmonthday=November 22|publisher=iTWire|year=2007|author=Stephen Withers]

References