Dr. Yajaira Sierra-Sastre
is a
Puerto Rican materials scientist, educator, and aspiring
astronaut. She was part of a six-person crew, and the only
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
, selected to participate in a four-month-long, Mars analog mission funded by NASA.
Sierra-Sastre aspires to become the first
Puerto Rican woman to travel to
outer space
Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...
.
Early years
Sierra-Sastre was born in
Guayama, Puerto Rico
Guayama (, ), officially the Autonomous Municipality of Guayama ( es, Municipio Autónomo de Guayama) is a city and municipality on the Caribbean coast of Puerto Rico. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 36,614. It is the ce ...
,
[''HI-SEAS: Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation. HI-SEAS, What is HI-SEAS: Crew Bios.''](_blank)
University of Hawaii at Manoa. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2012. and raised in the town of
Arroyo where she received her secondary education. Throughout her childhood, she dreamed of becoming an astronaut. After graduating from Carmen Bozello de Huyke High School, she attended the
Mayagüez Campus of the University of Puerto Rico where she earned a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
degree in
Chemistry.
After teaching to middle and high school students for a year and a half, Sierra-Sastre participated in a summer research experience program for teachers at Stanford University, where she was first introduced to nanotechnology research.
During that time, she was trained in the self-assembly of mono-molecular films. Upon returning to
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
, she enrolled in graduate Environmental Health courses at the School of Public Health at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Science Campus and graduate Chemistry courses at the
University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
. Sierra-Sastre then attended
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
, where she earned a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in 2009 in Nanomaterials Chemistry and specialized in the bionanofabrication of semiconductor nanowires.
["La Borinqueña’ más pequeña"; El Nuevo Dia](_blank)
/ref> As part of her doctoral studies, Sierra-Sastre researched at Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory (often shortened as Los Alamos and LANL) is one of the sixteen research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), located a short distance northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, ...
. Among the scientific works which she has co-authored is the 2008 article ''"Vertical Growth of Ge Nanowires from Biotemplated Au Nanoparticle Catalysts,"'' published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society
The ''Journal of the American Chemical Society'' is a weekly peer-reviewed scientific journal that was established in 1879 by the American Chemical Society. The journal has absorbed two other publications in its history, the ''Journal of Analytic ...
, volume 130, issue 10488.
After completing her PhD, Sierra-Sastre worked as a senior research scientist and microscopist at two nanotechnology start-up companies in Ithaca, New York where she designed, developed and characterized nanostructured coatings for medical devices/diagnostics, lithium ion batteries, and the textile sector.
Sierra-Sastre also served as a research scientist and project manager at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing's (BEP's) Office of Technology Development until April 2020. She now serves as a Project Manager at NASA supporting the Mars Sample Return and lunar VIPER (Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) missions.
NASA's Mars simulation project
One of the biggest food challenges astronauts face is menu fatigue. If the overall food intake declines, astronauts are at risk of nutritional deficiency, loss of bone and muscle mass, and lethargy
Lethargy is a state of tiredness, sleepiness, weariness, fatigue, sluggishness or lack of energy. It can be accompanied by depression, decreased motivation, or apathy. Lethargy can be a normal response to inadequate sleep, overexertion, overwo ...
. In 2013, the NASA Human Research Program funded a project called " HI-SEAS," an acronym
An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
for “Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation,” to determine the best way to keep astronauts well nourished during multiple-year missions to Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
or the moon.
A planetary module was built on the Hawaiian island of Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa ( or ; Hawaiian: ; en, Long Mountain) is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The largest subaerial volcano (as opposed to subaqueous volcanoes) in both mass and ...
, which simulates the living conditions for astronauts at a future base on Mars. It is believed that the saddle area side of the island resembles a Martian environment.
After receiving more than 700 applications for positions as crew members of the simulated Mars mission, NASA and researchers from Cornell University and the University of Hawaii at Mānoa chose six astronaut-like individuals. Sierra-Sastre was part of the selected crew with qualifications similar to those required by NASA for their astronaut applicants. The other five are Dr. Oleg Abramov, Simon Engler, Kate Greene, Dr. Sian Proctor and Dr. Angelo Vermeulen. Three additional individuals made up the reserve crew.
Prior to the four-month mission, which began in March 2013, the crew participated in a two-week training session. Once the mission began the crew was not allowed to have any communication with the outside world, except for limited e-mail
Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic (digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...
, and simulated space suits were required if they stepped outside the module. During the mission they tested new forms of food and food preparation strategies for deep-space travel. Sierra-Sastre also researched pre-market anti-microbial fabrics and how long they lasted, which is important given the limited water availability on a space mission. Members of the crew were given items such as shirts, bedsheets, and socks, and were asked to fill out surveys rating qualitative factors like odor, comfort, and appearance. Samples were also taken from the fabrics after use to measure the microbial growth. Research teams from Johnson Space Center also provided exercise and sleep clothing for testing during the mission, in preparation for an International Space Station technology demonstration in 2014.
Sierra-Sastre and her colleagues emerged from the space habitat on August 13, ending the four-month simulated mission.
Astronaut applicant
Sierra-Sastre has been a highly qualified applicant for the NASA Astronaut Candidate Program and aspires to become the first Puerto Rican woman to fly to space.
Informal Science Education and Public Outreach
A teacher-turned scientist, Yajaira is extremely passionate about STEM education and has collaborated with numerous organizations for the execution of citizen-science initiatives in the Americas. In 2016 she assembled a team of students, educators, scientists, engineers, and makers who designed a CubeSat payload that flew onboard Project Perlan's glider during a high-altitude flight in Calafate, Argentina. Sierra-Sastre has also collaborated in the development of educational science videos about the contributions of Puerto Rican scientists in the field of space exploration.
Yajaira is the former Chair of the PoSSUM 13, a talented group of thirteen women professionals from Project PoSSUM who serve as global ambassadors for STEM and space.
The smallest National Anthem ever written
Sierra-Sastre also collaborated in a variety of STEM education and public outreach projects with the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network and the Cornell Nanoscale Facility, including writing the smallest anthem ever written '' La Borinqueña Más Pequeña'' (the Puerto Rican national anthem).DCiencias PR
See also
*
List of Puerto Ricans
*
List of Puerto Ricans in the United States Space Program
This is a list of notable Puerto Rican scientists involved in the United States Space Program, also known as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and their contributions to said program. This list is not limited to Puerto Rica ...
*
Puerto Rican scientists and inventors
Before Christopher Columbus and the Spanish Conquistadors landed on the island of "Borikén" (Puerto Rico), the Tainos who inhabited the island depended on their astronomical observations for the cultivation of their crops.
In 1581, Jua ...
*
History of women in Puerto Rico
The recorded history of Puerto Rican women can trace its roots back to the era of the ''Taíno'', the indigenous people of the Caribbean, who inhabited the island that they called "Boriken" before the arrival of Spaniards. During the Spanish c ...
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sierra Sastre, Yajaira
1977 births
Living people
Scientists from Ithaca, New York
People from Arroyo, Puerto Rico
People from Guayama, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican educators
Puerto Rican scientists
Cornell University alumni
University of Puerto Rico alumni
HI-SEAS
21st-century Puerto Rican educators
Puerto Rican women scientists
21st-century Puerto Rican women