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NASA Astronaut Kathleen Rubins

Kathleen “Kate” Rubins was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2009 and most recently served as a flight engineer on the International Space Station for Expedition 63 and 64.

Quick Facts

Rubins holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology from the University of California and a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Stanford University Medical School Biochemistry Department and Microbiology and Immunology Department.

Rubins holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology from the University of California and a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Stanford University Medical School Biochemistry Department and Microbiology and Immunology Department.

Rubins worked as a Fellow/Principal Investigator at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and headed 14 researchers studying viral diseases that primarily affect Central and West Africa.

Rubins worked as a Fellow/Principal Investigator at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and headed 14 researchers studying viral diseases that primarily affect Central and West Africa.

Rubins completed her first spaceflight on Expedition 48/49, where she became the first person to sequence DNA in space.

Rubins completed her first spaceflight on Expedition 48/49, where she became the first person to sequence DNA in space.

(7 July 2016) NASA astronaut Kate Rubins smiles as she prepares to have her Russian sokol suit pressure checked ahead of launching onboard the Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft with Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos, and Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Thursday, July 7, 2016 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Rubins, Ivanishin, and Onishi launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan the morning of July 7, Kazakh time (July 6 Eastern time.) All three will spend approximately four months on the orbital complex, returning to Earth in October. (Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)

(1 September 2016) Wide view of Extravehicular crewmember 2 (EV2) Kate Rubins working at the P3 Truss to re-torque bolts on Alpha Joint Interface Structure (AJIS) Strut 2. Image was taken by an Extravehicular (EV) crewmember during Extravehicular Activity 37 (EVA 37).

(24 January 2021) Expedition 64 Flight Engineer Kate Rubins assists her crewmates Victor Glover (left) and Michael Hopkins, all three NASA astronauts, during a fit check of their U.S. spacesuits a few days ahead of their first spacewalk together.

(9 September 2016) Expedition 49 Flight Engineer Kate Rubins of NASA wears a hand-painted spacesuit decorated by patients recovering at the MD Anderson Cancer Center to raise awareness about the benefits of pairing art with medicine. Three spacesuits, HOPE, COURAGE and UNITY, were created during the project. Spacesuit UNITY was created at cancer hospitals in Germany, Russia, and Japan with collaboration from astronauts from NASA’s international partners, ESA (European Space Agency), the Russian Federal Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Rubins is seen wearing the COURAGE suit.

(2 December 2015) During a tour of the museum in Baikonur, Kazakhstan Dec. 2, the Expedition 46-47 backup crewmembers were treated to a traditional ceremony in a Kazakh “yurt”, or tent as they a break from their training. From left to right are Anatoly Ivanishin of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Kate Rubins of NASA and Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). They are serving as backups to the prime crewmembers, Tim Kopra of NASA, Yuri Malenchenko of Roscosmos and Tim Peake of the European Space Agency, who will launch on Dec. 15 on the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a six-month mission on the International Space Station.

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Biography

Kathleen Rubins

Learn more about astronaut Kathleen Rubins, including her flight experience, hobbies, education, background and more.

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Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins (pictured) of NASA conducted a six-hour and 48-minute spacewalk on Sept. 1, 2016

(1 September 2016) Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins (pictured) of NASA conducted a six-hour and 48-minute spacewalk on Sept. 1, 2016. The pair successfully retracted a thermal radiator, installed two enhanced high definition cameras on the station’s truss and tightened bolts on a joint that enables one of the station’s solar arrays to rotate. The spacewalk was the second for Williams and Rubins in just 13 days, the fifth of Williams’ career and the second for Rubins.

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