USA

Shannon Walker

(Shannon Baker Walker)

(Jun 04, 1965)

Astronaut 515

Astronaut of the USA 332

Woman-astronaut 55

Spaceflights 2

Spaceflights

On July 10, NASA astronaut Shannon Walker concluded a 38-year career that included 30 years of government service, with more than 21 of those years spent as an astronaut. Over the course of two spaceflights, she spent 330 days in orbit, participating in hundreds of scientific experiments and technology demonstrations for the benefit of humanity.

In 2020, Walker served as a mission specialist on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station—the first operational crewed flight of the Dragon spacecraft. She also became the first woman to fly aboard the Dragon spacecraft. Upon arriving at the orbiting laboratory, Walker joined the crews of Expedition 64 and Expedition 65, briefly serving as commander of Expedition 65; in total, she spent 167 days in space before returning to Earth in May 2021.

During her first flight in 2010, as part of the ISS Expedition 24 and 25 crews, she spent 163 days in space. She served as the pilot of the Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft, the crew of which was the first to dock with the station's *Rassvet* module.

Most recently, Walker served as the Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office. She also oversaw the 2021 astronaut candidate class, managing their training and graduation, which took place in 2024.

Walker began her career as a flight controller at NASA's Johnson Space Center, supporting several Space Shuttle missions. She subsequently worked in the International Space Station (ISS) Program Office, participating in the development, construction, and integration of station hardware. During the early stages of ISS operations, she returned to flight operations, leading an engineering team responsible for the station's technical health.

In 2004, she was selected for the astronaut corps. After completing a two-year initial training course, she served as a crew support astronaut and worked as a Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM). She also held leadership positions in various branches of the Astronaut Office, overseeing ISS operations, Soyuz crew flights, and astronaut mission training. Additionally, she commanded the NEEMO 15 underwater mission as part of a NASA project to practice operations in extreme environments.

A native of Houston, she attended Rice University in her hometown, where she earned a bachelor's degree in physics, followed by master's and doctoral degrees in space physics.