Abigail Harrison (born June 13, 1997), also known as Astronaut Abby, is an American

internet personality An Internet celebrity (also known as a social media influencer, social media personality, internet personality, or simply influencer) is a celebrity who has acquired or developed their fame and notability through the Internet. The rise of social m ...

and

science communicator Science communication is the practice of informing, educating, raising awareness of science-related topics, and increasing the sense of wonder about scientific discoveries and arguments. Science communicators and audiences are ambiguously def ...

, particularly in the area of the

United States space program The United States has developed many space programs since the beginning of the spaceflight era in the mid-20th century. The United States Government delivers space program solutions from three primary agencies: NASA for civil space; DoD for Mil ...

. Harrison is the founder and current leader of The Mars Generation, a

501(c)(3) nonprofit A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

. She is not an astronaut.

Early life and education

Harrison was born in 1997 in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...

. Harrison has sought to become the first person on Mars since an early age. Harrison attended

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

and

Minneapolis Public Schools Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) or Special School District Number 1 is a public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minneapolis Public Schools enrolls 36,370 students in pub ...

for K-12 education. Harrison graduated in 2019 from Wellesley College with a Bachelors of Arts. She pursued astrobiology (self-made major) and Russian Area Studies degrees. While at Wellesley, Harrison participated in a long-standing research project at Lake Baikal led by Wellesley Professor Marianne V. Moore and subsequently presented at the school's annual Tanner Conference.

Career

The Mars Generation

In 2015, Harrison founded the

called The Mars Generation and currently serves as the President of the Executive Board. The Mars Generation is an American

non-governmental A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

involved in public outreach and advocating for

human space exploration Human spaceflight (also referred to as manned spaceflight or crewed spaceflight) is spaceflight with a crew or passengers aboard a spacecraft, often with the spacecraft being operated directly by the onboard human crew. Spacecraft can also be ...

and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The Mars Generation offers 3 main programs. The Future of Space Outreach program encourages the support of space exploration and STEM education. The Student Space Ambassador Leadership Program (SSA) is a dual program in mentorship and leadership designed to provide school and career guidance to students ages 13–24. The final program provides full paid scholarships for students demonstrating financial need to attend U.S. Space Camp. In order to apply for consideration students need to be age 15–17, demonstrate interest in space exploration and an aptitude in STEM and complete the application, including obtaining a recommendation from a teacher and/or mentor.

Author

In January 2021,

Penguin Random House Penguin Random House LLC is an Anglo-American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, from the merger of Penguin Group and Random House. On April 2, 2020, Bertelsmann announced the completion of its purchase ...

published a book by Harrison titled "Dream Big! How To Reach For Your Stars". Harrison and Random House have stated that any proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to The Mars Generation, Harrison's nonprofit organization.

Public engagement

Harrison's online presence as Astronaut Abby was spurred from an 8th grade

National History Day National History Day is a non-profit organization based in College Park, Maryland that operates an annual project-based contest for students in grades 6-12. It has affiliates in all fifty states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, American Sam ...

project titled 'Debate and Diplomacy: The History of the

ISS The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (J ...

". Harrison set up a Twitter account under the name of AstronautAbby to connect with NASA employees to get a quote for her project. On May 28, 2013, Harrison attended the Soyuz TMA-09M launch of her mentor, Astronaut

Luca Parmitano Colonel Luca Parmitano (born 27 September 1976 in Paternò, Sicily) is an Italian astronaut in the European Astronaut Corps for the European Space Agency (ESA). He was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009. Parmitano is also a Colonel and ...

, to the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ( ...

. She shared the experience with her social media audience, becoming Parmitano's Earth Liaison. As his Earth Liaison, she shared his 6-month experience of living in space with her social media community and through her worldwide outreach program.

References

External links

*
The Mars Generation – Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Abigail 1997 births Living people Science communicators American Internet celebrities People from Minneapolis Wellesley College alumni