Says She Plans To Pursue Other Interests

NASA astronaut and educator Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger has departed the agency for other pursuits. Selected by NASA in 2004, Metcalf-Lindenburger was among NASA's first class of educator astronauts.

She flew on space shuttle mission STS-131 in April of 2010, accumulating more than 15 days in space. During her mission she coordinated supplies and equipment transferred to the station brought up on the Space Shuttle Discovery.

In addition to her spaceflight experience, Metcalf-Lindenburger served as the Astronaut Office Station Branch lead for systems and crew interfaces and was instrumental in making the space station a better living environment for crewmembers. In 2012, she commanded the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) 16 mission.

Before joining NASA, Metcalf-Lindenburger taught Earth Science and Astronomy at Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver, Wash. She also participated in undergraduate research with the KECK Consortium mapping the last glaciations of Russell Creek in Wyoming (1995) and mapping and determining the petrology of the rocks in the Wet Mountain region of Colorado (1996). Both research positions led to publications.

"Dottie has been a tremendous asset to our office," said Bob Behnken, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "As an educator, her enthusiasm for sharing the excitement of space exploration was infectious and she was a great influence on our office and our work to inspire the public. She brought that same passion and dedication to her work as an astronaut. She will be missed but we know she will continue to share the spirit of exploration wherever her path leads her next."

Metcalf-Lindenburger holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA and attained a teaching certification from Central Washington University.

(Image from NASA bio)

FMI: www.nasa.gov