Kathryn D. Sullivan (born 1951) is an American geologist, oceanographer, and NASA astronaut known as the first American woman to perform a spacewalk (1984) and the first woman to reach the deepest point of the oceans – Challenger Deep (2020). She participated in three shuttle missions (STS-41-G, STS-31, STS-45). She was also the administrator of NOAA.
Key moments in the history of Kathryn D. Sullivan:
Education and beginnings: She studied Earth sciences at the University of California and earned a PhD in geology at Dalhousie University in Canada.
NASA Career (1978–1993): In 1978, she was selected for the first group of female astronauts at NASA.
Historic spacewalk (October 11, 1984): During the STS-41-G mission aboard the shuttle Challenger, Sullivan became the first American woman to perform a spacewalk.
Space Missions and Hubble: She participated in mission STS-31, which deployed the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit, as well as STS-45.
Scientific activity and NOAA: After leaving NASA, she served as the director of COSI (Columbus, Ohio), and in the years 2014–2017, she served as the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Deep-sea record (June 7, 2020): She made a historic dive to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, becoming the first woman in this location and the only person to have visited both outer space and the deepest point of the ocean.
In 2004, she was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame.
