The 50th woman to venture into space, Karen L. Nyberg, logged a total of 180 days during her two orbital missions. A specialist in mechanical engineering, she applied her technical expertise to human thermoregulation and metabolic testing long before her selection by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for flight operations.
Academic Foundation
Born in 1969 in Parkers Prairie, Minnesota, Nyberg completed her secondary education in Henning before attending the University of North Dakota, where she earned a bachelor's degree in 1994. She continued her graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin, receiving a master's degree in 1996 and a doctorate in 1998. Her doctoral research addressed thermal neutrality within space suits at the Austin BioHeat Transfer Laboratory, a focus that directly informed her later professional responsibilities.
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Selected as an astronaut candidate in July 2000, Nyberg spent two years in training before qualifying as a mission specialist. Her first flight occurred in May 2008 aboard STS-124 to assist in the construction of the Japanese Kibō laboratory. She returned to flight status in 2013 as a flight engineer for two separate expeditions, traveling on the Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft. During this time, she engaged in diverse tasks ranging from emergency simulation training to the creation of handcrafted items using scraps found in orbit.
Service and Recognition
Beyond her time in orbit, Nyberg served in multiple ground-based technical roles for NASA, including assignments in the Space Shuttle branch, the Exploration branch, and as Chief of the Robotics branch. Her contributions to the field were recognized with various honors, culminating in the NASA Distinguished Service Medal awarded in 2013. She retired from the agency in March 2020.
Fast facts
- Born: 1969, Parkers Prairie
- Citizenship: United States
- Education: University of North Dakota, University of Texas at Austin
- Occupations: Astronaut, Engineer
- Employer: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Key Award: NASA Distinguished Service Medal (2013)
Questions readers ask
When did Karen L. Nyberg become an astronaut?
She was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in July 2000.
What was the focus of her academic research?
Her studies centered on human thermoregulation, experimental metabolic testing, and the control of thermal neutrality in space suits.
Achievements
- Affiliated with National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Educated at University of North Dakota and University of Texas at Austin
- Worked as astronaut and engineer
