Who: Astronaut aboard the space shuttle Discovery mission STS-121, NASA’s second flight since the loss of Columbia in 2003.

Degree: S.B. ’88

House: Currier

Hometown: Pittsfield, Mass.

Current residence: Clear Lake, Tx.

Spotlight: Only 26 years after falling in love with astronomy, a job that “lets you stay up all night and sleep during the day,” Wilson has finally exited earth’s atmosphere. She entered NASA’s astronaut school during the heyday of the space shuttle program ten years ago, when “rookies” could dream of blasting off within five years or so. But in the uneasy shadow of the Columbia disaster, Wilson is lucky to be up there at all. Her mission will help determine the future of the space shuttle program, as the crew works to test critical safety and repair modifications. They will also deliver a freezer, a cycling machine, a German astronaut, and a few “surprises” to the International Space Station, which relies upon the shuttles for maintenance.

Friends: William McCool, who died piloting the Columbia space shuttle as it reentered earth’s atmosphere on its final mission Feb. 1, 2003. “I think the best way to remember them in high esteem is to continue to fly in space,” Wilson said of McCool and her two other NASA classmates who died in the tragedy.

College rivalries: Forget winning one for Harvard, school pride is nothing if not Texan. Wilson left Cambridge in the dust when she headed to the University of Texas at Austin for her master’s degree in aerospace engineering, and she isn’t going to let fellow astronaut Michael Fossum, a graduate of infamous rival Texas A&M University, forget it. Neither he nor Wilson will miss the chance to take the borderline militant antagonism between Aggies and Longhorns—more traditionally played out on the football field—to new heights. Fossum intends to “gig ‘em” by bringing an Aggie flag into outer space, while Wilson will likely “hook ‘em” in retaliation, hiding all Fossum’s Aggie paraphernalia from the cameras.

Talents: In addition to skiing and stamp collecting, Wilson’s formidable repertoire of skills includes wielding a 50-foot mechanical arm and a handheld laser. As Mission Specialist, she’ll get to demonstrate both these nifty tricks while orbiting at a lazy 300km above the earth.

It IS Rocket science: “I'll be the one to unberth and install our Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, and to demate it and reberth it into the Shuttle payload bay. I'm also supporting the robotics for the vehicle inspection and our EVAs. I'll also help in preparations for the EVA with the airlock operations.” –Wilson talks about her role on board. Engineers who don’t feel emasculated yet can read more here.