ATLANTA — The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame elected a Georgia Tech graduate and professor in late February, according to a release from the school.
Sandy Magnus flew to space three times, with a total of 187 days in orbit, and now she joins only 101 astronauts in the hall of fame.
This news came a week after Magnus was named to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional distinctions awarded in the field.
Induction into the hall of fame will be in June at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
In 1996, Magnus was both selected as an engineer for astronaut candidacy by NASA and celebrated receiving her doctoral degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Tech. She launched aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 2002 and flew to the International Space Station in 2008. She lived on board the space station for four and a half months.
Magnus took her last trip into the stars in 2011, aboard the Atlantis again, which was the final space shuttle launch.
This GA Tech grad and professor makes the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame
Over the years, Magnus has received many awards, including the NASA Space Flight Medal, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, and the 40 at 40 Award (given to former collegiate women athletes to recognize the impact of Title IX), said the release.
Currently, she is a principal at AstroPlanetview LLC and returned to Georgia Tech in 2021 as a professor, mainly working on research advocacy, leadership and mentorship to students and offering help to faculty issues related to aerospace engineering.
She works with three different schools at the university, Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.