Joan Higginbotham

Joan Elizabeth Higginbotham (born August 3, 1964) is an electrical engineer and a former NASA astronaut.

[2] Higginbotham was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended Whitney Young Magnet High School, graduating in 1982.

She was also tasked by KSC management to undertake several special assignments where she served as the Executive Staff Assistant to the Director of Shuttle Operations and Management, led a team of engineers in performing critical analysis for the Space Shuttle flow in support of a simulation model tool, and worked on an interactive display detailing the Space Shuttle processing procedures at Spaceport United States (Kennedy Space Center's Visitors Center).

Two years later, she was promoted to lead orbiter project engineer for OV-102, Space Shuttle Columbia.

Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in April 1996, Higginbotham reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996.

Joan E. Higginbotham (foreground) and Sunita L. Williams ( Expedition 14 flight engineer) refer to a procedures checklist as they work the controls of the Canadarm2 in the International Space Station 's Destiny laboratory during flight day four of STS-116 .