NASA Astronaut Loral O’Hara

Loral O’Hara was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017 and launched to the International Space Station on Sept. 15, 2023.

Quick Facts

O’Hara was a Research Engineer at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where she spent eight years working on the engineering and operations of underwater vehicles.

👁 O’Hara was a Research Engineer at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where she spent eight years working on the engineering and operations of underwater vehicles.

The Texas native earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Kansas and a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University.

👁 The Texas native earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Kansas and a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University.

Though all NASA astronauts live and work in the Houston area, O’Hara is only the second Houston native to travel to space.

👁 Though all NASA astronauts live and work in the Houston area, O'Hara is only the second Houston native to travel to space.

👁 Astronaut Loral O'Hara enters a Soyuz spacecraft simulator

Astronaut Loral O’Hara enters a Soyuz spacecraft simulator in her Sokol launch and entry suit for preflight training.

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(10 January 2020) ASCAN Graduation Ceremony (Group 22) (Credit: NASA/Mark Sowa)

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(3 March 2023) Photography of Expedition 70 (Soyuz 70S) astronaut Loral O’Hara in T-38 pre-flight ops at Ellington Field (Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford)

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(20 July 2022) SSATA Crew Training for astronaut Loral O’Hara Dry Run. (Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz)

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