Katya Echazarreta: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Mexican astronaut, electrical engineer and science YouTuber}}

| nationality = Mexican, American

| fields = {{hlist|[[Electrical engineering]]|[[science communication]]}}

'''Katya Celeste Echazarreta González'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-05 |title=Jalisco reconoce a Katya Echazarreta, primera mexicana en ir al espacio |url=https://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/jalisco-reconoce-a-katya-echazarreta-primera-mexicana-en-ir-al-espacio/1524717 |access-date=2023-05-23 |website=Excélsior |language=es}}</ref> (born June 15, 1995) is a Mexican [[Electrical engineering|electrical engineer]], science communicator, and Citizen Astronaut. She became the first Mexican-born woman in spaceaspart of Space for Humanity's Citizen Astronaut Program, launched June 4, 2022.<ref name="sfn">{{Cite web |title=Blue Origin launches six people to suborbital space |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/06/04/blue-origin-ns-21/ |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=Spaceflight Now}}</ref>

She worked at [[NASA]], first as an intern during her university undergraduate career, then later as a test lead for the [[Europa Clipper|Europa Clipper Ground Support Equipment]] group. She has contributed to a total of five NASA missions. Around 2019, Echazarreta began uploading engineering-related content to [[Instagram]], later expanding her platforms to [[YouTube]] and [[TikTok]].

Echazarreta was the co-host of [[Netflix]]'s YouTube series, ''Netflix IRL'', while pursuing a Master's degree in electrical engineering from [[Johns Hopkins University]].

Echazarreta was born and raised in [[Guadalajara]], Mexico<ref name="sandiegouniontribune" /> until the age of 8, after which her family moved to [[California]], USA.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ABOUT |url=https://www.katechazarreta.com/about |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=Kat Echazarreta |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-13 |title=Conoce a Katya Echazarreta, la primera mexicana que viajará al espacio |url=https://eldiariony.com/2022/05/12/conoce-a-katya-echazarreta-la-primera-mexicana-que-viajara-al-espacio/ |access-date=2022-09-12 |website=El Diario NY |language=es}}</ref> She had a difficult first few years, having to learn English while starting elementary school. “It was definitely an obstacle for me to learn about a brand new culture and to learn a brand new language. I recall being made fun of for my accent, but I was determined to push through. It helped me become really hard working from a young age, and to not be afraid of a challenge.”<ref>{{Cite web |title=UCLA Engineering Alumna Inspires Others through Work at NASA JPL |url=https://samueli.ucla.edu/ucla-engineering-alumna-inspires-others-through-work-at-nasa-jpl/ |access-date=2022-05-03 |language=en-US}}</ref>

During her undergraduate career, Echazarreta was a research intern at [[Rutgers University]] in 2016 for their Research in Science and Engineering (RiSE) program. She co-authored ''Depth-Inversion "Easillusions" and "Hardillusions": Differences for Scenes and Faces'' which focused on human recognition of two depth-inversion illusions—the perception of depth structure opposite to the stimulus's physical depth.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Papathomas |first1=Thomas |last2=Farkas |first2=Attila |last3=Grace |first3=Tom |last4=Kapadia |first4=Alistair |last5=Papayanopoulos |first5=John |last6=Vlajnic |first6=Vanja |last7=Lovoulos |first7=Sophia |last8=Echazarreta |first8=Katya |last9=Li |first9=Yuan |date=2017-09-01 |title=Depth-Inversion Easillusions and Hardillusions: Differences for Scenes and Faces |url=https://jov.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2651201 |journal=Journal of Vision |language=en |volume=17 |issue=10 |pages=316 |doi=10.1167/17.10.316 |issn=1534-7362|doi-access=free }}</ref> In 2017, Echazarreta was a research assistant at UCLA for the [[UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science|Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science]], where she experimented with various materials to serve as both the PCB and body of the robot while maintaining electrically isolated portions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Katya Echazarreta {{!}} LEMUR |url=https://uclalemur.com/people/katya-echazarreta |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=uclalemur.com}}</ref>

She later obtained an internship at NASA JPL for the summers of 2018 and 2019. Following her graduation from UCLA, she received Suborbital Citizen Scientist Astronaut Training with [[Project PoSSUM]]. She transitioned to a full-time engineer at [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory|NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] as part of the Europa Clipper Ground Support Equipment group.

The [[Space For Humanity]] initiative selected Echazarreta out of over 7,000 applicants to fly to space with [[Blue Origin NS-21]] as a Space for Humanity Ambassador.<ref>{{cite web |date=9 May 2022 |title=NS-21 to Fly Six Customer Astronauts, Including First Mexican-Born Woman to Visit Space |url=https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-shepard-ns-21-mission-announcement |access-date=10 May 2022}}</ref><ref name="sandiegouniontribune">{{cite news|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/science/story/2022-05-09/san-diego-city-college-mexico-woman-space|title=A San Diego City College alumna will become the first Mexico-born woman to fly in space|date=9 May 2022|access-date=10 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=9 May 2022 |title=Space For Humanity to Send its First Ever Citizen Astronaut to Experience the Overview Effect Aboard Blue Origin's Next New Shepard Flight |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/space-humanity-send-first-ever-141500617.html |access-date=10 May 2022}}</ref> Launched on June 4, 2022, she became the first Mexican-born woman in space. The five other crew members were Evan Dick, [[Hamish Harding]], Victor Correa Hespanha, [[Jaison Robinson]], and [[Victor Vescovo]]. This was the fifth crewed flight operated by [[Blue Origin]], and their 21st flight overall to reach space. The mission lasted approximately 10 minutes, reaching an altitude of 107 kilometers.<ref name="sfn" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=SEL |date=2022-05-17 |title=Who is Katya Echazarreta, the first Latin American to travel to space |url=https://www.mazatlanweekly.com/2022/05/17/who-is-katya-echazarreta-the-first-latin-american-to-travel-to-space/ |access-date=2022-05-17 |website=Mazatlán Weekly |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-13 |title=Katya Echazarreta, la primera latina nacida en México en ir al espacio |url=https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2022/05/13/katya-echazarreta-la-primera-latina-nacida-en-mexico-que-ira-al-espacio-orix/ |access-date=2022-05-17 |website=CNN |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Zawadzki |first=Eduardo Scheffler |title=Katya Echazarreta was once told |url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/427350 |access-date=2022-05-17 |website=Entrepreneur |date=11 May 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

She has stated that visiting space is a lifelong dream of hers and that she is humbled to represent "all of the little girls and women out there who are dreaming of achieving something bigger."<ref name="S4H">{{cite web |title=Introducing S4H's First Citizen Astronaut: Katya Echazarreta |url=https://spaceforhumanity.org/blog/ca-1announcement |accessdate=2022-05-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Speck |first=Emilee |date=2022-05-13 |title=Katya Echazarreta wants others to live through her Blue Origin spaceflight experience |url=https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/katya-echazarreta-first-mexican-born-woman-space |access-date=2022-05-17 |website=FOX Weather |language=en-US}}</ref> She partnered with [[McDonald's]] for the HACER Education Tour, speaking to high schools around the United States to share her story and information about the HACER National Scholarship.<ref>{{Cite web |title=INTERVIEW: Katya Echazarreta Talks Importance of Education & 'Mexican Mission to the Moon' |url=https://remezcla.com/features/culture/interview-katya-echazarreta-talks-importance-of-education-mcdonalds-mexican-mission-moon/ |access-date=2023-06-01 |website=Remezcla |language=en-US}}</ref>

Echazarreta has spoken to Mexico's congresses [[Senate of the Republic (Mexico)|Senate of the Republic]] and [[Chamber of Deputies]] in support of increasing STEM education for women and expanding Mexico's spaceflight program.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guillén |first=Beatriz |date=2023-01-12 |title=Katya Echazarreta: 'I want to return to space, but I want to go there with Mexico' |url=https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2023-01-12/katya-echazarreta-i-want-to-return-to-space-but-i-want-to-go-there-with-mexico.html |access-date=2023-06-01 |website=EL PAÍS English |language=en-us}}</ref>

In 2023, she founded Fundación Espacial, "a non-profit civil association, with the main social objective of promoting youth, women and children, as well as scientists and engineers from Mexico, to develop skills to carry out advanced studies in the space, planetary, protection of the planet and the environment".<ref>{{Cite web |title=CONÓCENOS |url=https://www.fundacionespacial.com/conoce |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=Fundación Espacial |language=es}}</ref>

Echazarreta appeared on the October 2022 ''[[Vogue México y Latinoamérica]]'' cover.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Estaff |first=Remezcla |date=2022-10-11 |title=Katya Echazarreta, First Mexican-Born Woman To Go to Space, on Cover of Vogue México |url=https://remezcla.com/culture/katya-echazarreta-first-mexican-born-woman-to-go-to-space-cover-vogue-mexico/ |access-date=2022-10-20 |website=Remezcla |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-10 |title='Mi meta personal es llegar a la Luna': Katya Echazarreta, la primera mexicana que viajó al espacio |url=https://www.vogue.mx/estilo-de-vida/articulo/katya-echazarreta-entrevista |access-date=2022-10-20 |website=Vogue México y Latinoamérica |language=es-MX}}</ref> She presented a talk at ''Vogue Mexico''{{'}}s Forces of Fashion, discussing her experience with fashion not being fully welcome in STEM and how she is working to break down those stereotypes.

She was also named one of ''[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]] México y Latinoamérica''{{'}}s 2022 Women of the Year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-03 |title=Katya Echazarreta nos revela las lecciones que la han convertido en un icono de la ciencia |url=https://www.glamour.mx/articulos/katya-echazarreta-en-women-of-the-year-2022 |access-date=2022-12-15 |website=Glamour México y Latinoamérica |language=es-MX}}</ref>

[[Category:American electrical engineers]]

[[Category:American astronauts]]

[[Category:American TikTokers]]

[[Category:YouTubers from San Diego]]

[[Category:People who have flown in suborbital spaceflight]]

[[Category:Mexican astronauts]]

[[Category:Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, California) alumni]]