Space Shuttle Endeavour carried Tracy Caldwell Dyson into orbit in August 2007, marking her initial mission as a specialist. Since that first flight, she has contributed to two extended residencies aboard the International Space Station. A physicist and chemist by training, she has logged nearly 24 hours of extravehicular activity during her career with NASA.
Academic and Technical Background
Before joining the space program, Caldwell Dyson studied at California State University, Fullerton, and the University of California, Davis. Her early research focused on laser-ionization mass spectrometry and atmospheric chemistry. Beyond academia, she gained practical skills working as an electrician and inside wireman, tasks that involved commercial construction. During her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Irvine, she investigated atmospheric reactivity and spectroscopy methods.
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Selected by NASA in June 1998, she completed her training and qualified as a mission specialist by the following year. Her duties included serving as a Russian Crusader for ISS hardware integration and working as a CAPCOM for Expeditions 4 through 6. She also supported flight software verification and launch operations at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Throughout her tenure, she has led initiatives to enhance astronaut training, including the EVA Qualification flow.
Spaceflight Missions
During her first flight, STS-118, she contributed to the installation of a new truss segment and gyroscope on the International Space Station. The mission lasted 12 days and involved the transfer of thousands of pounds of hardware. Later, she participated in Expedition 23 and 24, as well as Expedition 70 and 71, contributing to long-duration scientific operations. Across these missions, she completed four spacewalks.
Fast facts
- Born: 1969, Arcadia, United States
- Occupations: Astronaut, physicist, chemist
- Education: California State University; University of California, Davis
- Primary Employer: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Awards: NASA Distinguished Service Medal, NASA Space Flight Medal
- Languages: English
- Affiliations: Max Q
Questions readers ask
What is Tracy Caldwell Dyson's professional background?
She is a physicist and chemist who transitioned into a career as a NASA astronaut.
Which major missions has she flown?
She was a mission specialist on STS-118 and participated in ISS Expeditions 23, 24, 70, and 71.
Achievements
- Affiliated with National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Educated at California State University, Fullerton, University of California, Davis and California State University
- Worked as astronaut, chemist and physicist
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