Mary E. Weber
Encyclopedia
Mary Ellen Weber, is an American
engineer
and a former NASA
astronaut
.
and raised in Bedford Heights, Ohio
. She graduated from Bedford High School in 1980; received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering (with honors) from Purdue University
, where she was a member of Phi Mu women's fraternity in 1984; received a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1988; and received a Masters of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University
in 2002.
, and 3M
. Following this, in her doctoral research at Berkeley, she explored the physics of gas-phase chemical reactions involving silicon. She then joined Texas Instruments
to research new processes for making computer chips. TI assigned her to a consortium of semiconductor companies, SEMATECH
, and subsequently to Applied Materials, to create a revolutionary reactor for manufacturing next-generation chips. She has received one patent and published eight papers in scientific journals.
, payload and science development, and development of standards and methods for crew science training. A veteran of two space flights, STS-70
and STS-101
, she logged over 450 hours in space. She resigned from NASA in December 2002.
(July 13-22, 1995), a mission which successfully delivered to orbit a critical NASA communications satellite, TDRS-G. Weber’s primary responsibility was checking the systems of the satellite and sending it into its 22-thousand-mile orbit above the equator. She also performed biotechnology experiments, growing colon cancer tissues never before possible. She was the primary contingency spacewalk crewmember, and the medical officer. The STS-70 mission was completed in 142 orbits of the Earth, after traveling 3.7 million miles in 214 hours and 20 minutes.
STS-101 Atlantis
(May 19-29, 2000), the third Shuttle mission devoted to International Space Station
construction. The crew repaired and installed a myriad of electrical and life-support components, both inside and out, and boosted the Station to a safe orbit. Weber’s two primary responsibilities were flying the 60-foot robotic arm to maneuver a spacewalk crewmember along the Station surface, and directing the transfer of over three thousand pounds of equipment. The STS-101 mission was accomplished in 155 orbits of the Earth, after traveling 4.1 million miles in 236 hours and 9 minutes.
.
. She is an avid skydiver and golf
er, and also enjoys scuba diving
. Her mother and father, Joan Weber and Andrew Weber, Jr., are deceased.
Weber has logged over 3,300 skydives since 1983. She is an eight-time silver/bronze medalist at the U.S. National Skydiving Championships, and she participated in the world record largest completed freefall formation in 2002, with 300 people. In addition, she is an instrument-rated pilot, with over 800 hours flying time, including 600 in jet aircraft.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and a former NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
.
Education
Weber was born in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
and raised in Bedford Heights, Ohio
Bedford Heights, Ohio
-External links:*...
. She graduated from Bedford High School in 1980; received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering (with honors) from Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, where she was a member of Phi Mu women's fraternity in 1984; received a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1988; and received a Masters of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
in 2002.
Engineering career
During her undergraduate studies at Purdue, Weber was an engineering intern at Ohio Edison, Delco ElectronicsDelco Electronics
Delco Electronics Corporation was the automotive electronics design and manufacturing subsidiary of General Motors based in Kokomo, Indiana.The name Delco came from the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co., founded in Dayton, Ohio by Charles Kettering and Edward A...
, and 3M
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
. Following this, in her doctoral research at Berkeley, she explored the physics of gas-phase chemical reactions involving silicon. She then joined Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
to research new processes for making computer chips. TI assigned her to a consortium of semiconductor companies, SEMATECH
SEMATECH
- Purpose :SEMATECH , a not-for-profit consortium, performs research and development to advance chip manufacturing. SEMATECH has broad engagement with various sectors of the R&D community, including chipmakers, equipment and material suppliers, universities, research institutes, and government...
, and subsequently to Applied Materials, to create a revolutionary reactor for manufacturing next-generation chips. She has received one patent and published eight papers in scientific journals.
NASA career
Weber was selected by NASA in the fourteenth group of astronauts in 1992. During her ten-year career with NASA, she held several positions. She worked extensively in technology commercialization, and as part of a team reporting to NASA’s chief executive, she worked directly with a venture capital firm to successfully identify and develop a business venture leveraging a space technology. In addition, Weber was the Legislative Affairs liaison at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C., interfacing with Congress and traveling with NASA’s chief executive. Prior to this appointment, she was Chairman of the procurement board for the Biotechnology Program contractor, and she also served on a team that revamped the $2 billion plan for Space Station research facilities. Weber’s principal technical assignments within the Astronaut Office included Shuttle launch preparations at the Kennedy Space CenterKennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
, payload and science development, and development of standards and methods for crew science training. A veteran of two space flights, STS-70
STS-70
STS-70 was the 21st flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery, and the last of 7 shuttle missions to carry a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite . This was the first shuttle mission controlled from the new Mission Control Center room at the Johnson Space Center in Houston...
and STS-101
STS-101
-Mission parameters:* Mass:** Orbiter landing with payload: ** Payload: * Perigee: * Apogee: * Inclination: 51.6°* Period: 91 min-Space walks:* Voss and Williams – EVA 1...
, she logged over 450 hours in space. She resigned from NASA in December 2002.
Spaceflight experience
STS-70 DiscoverySpace Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States, and was operational from its maiden flight, STS-41-D on August 30, 1984, until its final landing during STS-133 on March 9, 2011...
(July 13-22, 1995), a mission which successfully delivered to orbit a critical NASA communications satellite, TDRS-G. Weber’s primary responsibility was checking the systems of the satellite and sending it into its 22-thousand-mile orbit above the equator. She also performed biotechnology experiments, growing colon cancer tissues never before possible. She was the primary contingency spacewalk crewmember, and the medical officer. The STS-70 mission was completed in 142 orbits of the Earth, after traveling 3.7 million miles in 214 hours and 20 minutes.
STS-101 Atlantis
Space Shuttle Atlantis
The Space Shuttle Atlantis is a retired Space Shuttle orbiter in the Space Shuttle fleet belonging to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration , the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States...
(May 19-29, 2000), the third Shuttle mission devoted to International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
construction. The crew repaired and installed a myriad of electrical and life-support components, both inside and out, and boosted the Station to a safe orbit. Weber’s two primary responsibilities were flying the 60-foot robotic arm to maneuver a spacewalk crewmember along the Station surface, and directing the transfer of over three thousand pounds of equipment. The STS-101 mission was accomplished in 155 orbits of the Earth, after traveling 4.1 million miles in 236 hours and 9 minutes.
After NASA
Weber is currently (January 2003) Associate Vice President at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.
Personal
Weber is married to Dr. Jerome Elkind, who is originally from Bayonne, New JerseyBayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
. She is an avid skydiver and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er, and also enjoys scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
. Her mother and father, Joan Weber and Andrew Weber, Jr., are deceased.
Weber has logged over 3,300 skydives since 1983. She is an eight-time silver/bronze medalist at the U.S. National Skydiving Championships, and she participated in the world record largest completed freefall formation in 2002, with 300 people. In addition, she is an instrument-rated pilot, with over 800 hours flying time, including 600 in jet aircraft.