Joseph M. Acaba
| Joseph Acaba | |
|---|---|
Astronaut Joseph Acaba, mission specialist, June 12, 2008
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| NASA Astronaut | |
| Nationality | American |
| Status | Active |
| Born | Joseph Michael Acaba May 17, 1967 Inglewood, California, United States |
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Previous occupation
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Hydrogeologist and teacher |
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University of California, Santa Barbara (B.S. 1990) University of Arizona (M.S. 1992) |
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Time in space
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137 days, 19 hours, and 22 minutes |
| Selection | May 6, 2004 – NASA Astronaut Group 19 |
| Missions | STS-119, Soyuz TMA-04M (Expedition 31/32) |
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Mission insignia
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| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch |
 Marine Corps Reserve
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| Years of service | 6 years |
| Rank |
 Sergeant
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| Unit | Marine Corps Reserve Unit in Tucson, Arizona |
 Joseph Michael "Joe" Acaba and Suni Williams aboard the ISS during a Space Station Social Media Event
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Joseph Michael "Joe" Acaba (born May 17, 1967) is an educator, hydrogeologist, and NASA astronaut. In May 2004 he became the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate, when he was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Training Group 19. He completed his training on February 10, 2006 and was assigned to STS-119, which flew from March 15 to March 28, 2009 to deliver the final set of solar arrays to the International Space Station. Acaba served as a Flight Engineer aboard the International Space Station, having launched on May 15, 2012. He arrived at the space station on May 17 and returned to Earth on September 17, 2012 at 6:53am Moscow Standard Time when touchdown was officially recorded by the Russian Federal Space Agency.
Acaba's parents, Ralph and Elsie Acabá, from Hatillo, Puerto Rico, moved in the mid-1960s to Inglewood, California where he was born. They later moved to Anaheim, California. Since his childhood, Acaba enjoyed reading, especially science fiction. In school, he excelled in both science and math. As a child, his parents constantly exposed him to educational films, but it was the 8-mm film showing astronaut Neil Armstrong's Moon landing which really intrigued him about outer space. During his senior year in high school, Acaba became interested in scuba diving and became a certified scuba diver through a job training program at his school. This experience inspired him to further his academic education in the field of geology. In 1985, he graduated with honors from Esperanza High School in Anaheim.
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