👩🚀 Person in News: Megan McArthur
Why in News?
- Megan McArthur, the first woman to pilot a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, has retired after serving 20 years at NASA.
Key Highlights of Career
- Space Missions:
- STS-125 Atlantis (2009) → Last servicing mission of the Hubble Telescope, last astronaut to operate the Space Shuttle robotic arm.
- SpaceX Crew-2 (2021) → First woman to pilot Dragon; 200-day stay aboard ISS; conducted experiments in human health, material sciences, and robotics.
- Leadership Roles:
- Deputy Division Chief, Astronaut Office (2019)
- Assistant Director of Flight Ops, ISS Program
- Chief Science Officer, Space Center Houston (2022)
- Background:
- Born in Honolulu, “Navy kid.”
- Aerospace Engineering (UCLA), PhD in Oceanography (Scripps, UC San Diego).
- Married to astronaut Robert Behnken (flew on first crewed Dragon mission, 2020).
Significance
- Strengthened NASA’s Artemis & Mars mission goals through experiments.
- Role model for women in space exploration globally, including India.
Updated: September 01, 2025 2:13 PM | India TV