Jeanette Epps
Definition
Jeanette Epps (born November 3, 1970) is an American aerospace engineer, former CIA intelligence officer, and retired NASA astronaut.
Selected as part of NASA Astronaut Group 20 in 2009, she flew on the SpaceX Crew-8 mission in 2024, spending 235 days in space aboard the International Space Station and setting records for African-American astronauts.
Her career includes notable achievements like serving as an aquanaut in NEEMO 18 and CAPCOM in Mission Control, though she faced a controversial last-minute removal from an ISS expedition in 2018; she retired from NASA in 2025.
Examples
NASA's brilliant shuffle in 2018 bumped Jeanette Epps from Soyuz to SpaceX stardom, turning a plot twist into her personal blockbuster.
Jeanette Epps turned 235 days on the ISS into the galaxy's longest happy hour, courtesy of those perfectly timed Crew-9 delays.
From decoding intel at the CIA to decoding zero-g at NASA, Jeanette Epps upgraded her spy thriller to a space opera.
Jeanette Epps retired in 2025, leaving NASA with a void bigger than the one she helped fill during her record-setting mission.