Ellen Ochoa

Veteran astronaut. First Latina in space. 11th director of @NASA_Johnson. Mom. #STEM advocate.
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[NASA's Johnson Space Center @NASAJohnson]

"A short time ago, at a NASA center not so far away..." 

This week, John Knoll, Chief Creative Officer for Industrial Light & Magic -- and the Mandalorian and Grogu themselves -- visited Johnson Space Center. They learned about our work in human spaceflight, including through the International Space Station and Artemis, inspiring and benefitting humans in our own galaxy.

[NASA History Office @NASAhistory]

A rare sight!

15 years ago today was the first and only time a Soyuz spacecraft departed from the @Space_Station while a space shuttle was docked.

Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev, NASA's Cady Coleman, and ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli were on their way back home after 159 days in space. As they set off, Nespoli captured a series of photos of Endeavour docked to the space station. STS-134 was Endeavour's last mission and the penultimate mission of the space shuttle program.

[Ellen Ochoa @Astro_Ellen]

@KathyLueders @Astro_Cady @NASA @NASA_Johnson Thank you @KathyLueders and Happy Mother’s Day!

[Ellen Ochoa @Astro_Ellen]

@Astro_Cady @NASA @NASA_Johnson Thank you @Astro_Cady ! And Happy Mother’s Day!

[Jeremy R. Hansen @Astro_Jeremy]

POV: You're inside Integrity with the Artemis II crew for reentry all the way to splashdown. @csa_asc @astro_reid @Astro_Christina @AstroVicGlover @NASAArtemis https://t.co/3YdKQVsMdD

[Reid Wiseman @astro_reid]

The view from inside Integrity as recovery forces pop open the hatch…watching the helicopter pass over their shoulders and hearing all the joy, it was as good as it gets.

[Mutual of America Financial Group @MutualofAmerica]

Attention #nonprofits! The 2026 Community Partnership Award competition is open. This prestigious award honors nonprofits who are helping to build healthier, more equitable communities.

Apply today: https://t.co/DW5a8X9DDS

[Jessica Meir @Astro_Jessica]

Looks like Mother Earth is putting her best face forward for Earth Day with some spectacular Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights! I couldn’t look away from the @Space_Station cupola window as I witnessed this magnificent Earthly phenomenon dance its magical ballet. Covering a majority of the area I could see, our precious blue gem had turned completely green! Mother Earth is undeniably gorgeous, but she is also utterly fragile. Let’s remember to treat her as well as she has treated us.

I never saw anything near this scale during my previous mission here on the ISS. That’s because we are currently near a strong peak of the solar cycle, while my first mission coincided with solar minimum.

[NASA's Johnson Space Center @NASAJohnson]

The best view in the universe is the one we call home. 🌎

Earth is the only home we have ever known, and from space its beauty is undeniable. This Earth Day, we honor the astronauts who see it from above, the scientists who study it from below, and the teams at Johnson Space Center who make that work possible. Seeing our world from space reminds us why protecting it matters for generations to come.

[Reid Wiseman @astro_reid]

Only one chance in this lifetime…

Like watching sunset at the beach from the most foreign seat in the cosmos, I couldn’t resist a cell phone video of Earthset. You can hear the shutter on the Nikon as @Astro_Christina is hammering away on 3-shot brackets and capturing those exceptional Earthset photos through the 400mm lens. @AstroVicGlover was in window 3 watching with @Astro_Jeremy next to him.

I could barely see the Moon through the docking hatch window but the iPhone was the perfect size to catch the view…this is uncropped, uncut with 8x zoom which is quite comparable to the view of the human eye. Enjoy.

[NASA Artemis @NASAArtemis]

The astronauts. Their ride around the Moon.

The Artemis II astronauts pose for a group photo after viewing their Orion spacecraft — which they named Integrity — in the well deck of USS John P. Murtha following their splashdown.

[Reid Wiseman @astro_reid]

On the helicopter leaving the ship right now. This planet is impossibly beautiful from every altitude I’ve seen it…surface to 250,000 miles

[NASA Artemis @NASAArtemis]

The Artemis II astronauts were all smiles on the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha after they were extracted from their Orion spacecraft after splashdown.

[NASA @NASA]

All four of the Artemis II astronauts have been successfully extracted from the Orion spacecraft following splashdown and are now on the USS John P. Murtha. Next up, they will be escorted to the medical bay where they will undergo post-mission medical evaluations.

[NASA's Johnson Space Center @NASAJohnson]

Welcome home!! 🌎

[NASA's Johnson Space Center @NASAJohnson]

The path around the Moon runs through Houston, where Mission Control at Johnson Space Center is on watch.

[NASA Marshall @NASA_Marshall]

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's.... Integrity! 🌌

Our Meteoroid Environments Office captured this view of the @NASAArtemis II Orion spacecraft this morning through a telescope in Siding Spring, Australia. These frames were taken when Integrity was 202,500 miles away from Earth.

[NASA's Johnson Space Center @NASAJohnson]

The SER: JSC’s front row seat to the Moon. 🌕

During the @NASAArtemis II lunar flyby yesterday, the Science Evaluation Room became Mission Control’s science hub, where experts in geology, data visualization, and crew imagery analyze lunar observations in real time. With a scrum team at the center, specialists in the Trench, and direct comms to Flight Control, the SER helps guide the crew as they capture views of the Moon and record key scientific observations. Opened in 2025, it’s JSC’s engine for rapid, mission‑shaping science.

[NASA's Johnson Space Center @NASAJohnson]

Homeward bound. 🌎

Now that the @NASAArtemis II crew has flown around the Moon, they are officially on their journey home. There is no deorbit burn for Artemis II – only slight trajectory correction burns – as the translunar injection burn that committed the crew to a lunar flyby also guaranteed their return home. Watch the mission live here: https://t.co/qp9PpVfEtr

[NASA @NASA]

Hello, Moon. It’s great to be back.

Here’s a taste of what the Artemis II astronauts photographed during their flight around the Moon. Check out more photos from the mission: https://t.co/rzM1P0QbOl