Biography of joseph m acaba nasa

American educator, hydrogeologist, and NASA astronaut

Joseph Michael Acabá (born May 17, 1967) is an American educator, hydrogeologist, and NASAastronaut.^[1][2] In May 2004, he became the first person of Puerto Rican ancestry to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate, when he was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Training Group 19.^[3] He completed his training on February 10, 2006, and was assigned to STS-119, which flew from March 15 to 28, 2009, to deliver the final set of solar arrays to the International Space Station.^[4] He is the first person of Puerto Rican origin, and the twelfth of fifteen people of Ibero-american heritage to have flown to space.^[5]

Acabá served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station, having launched on May 15, 2012.^[6] He arrived at the space station on May 17 and returned to Earth on September 17, 2012.^[7] Acaba returned to the Internatio