Georgia Tech professor headed to the Astronaut Hall of Fame

ATLANTA — A Georgia Tech professor and former astronaut is headed into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.

Dr. Sandy Magnus is a professor of practice at Georgia Tech, and one of her biggest roles is mentoring.

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During this year’s Women’s History Month, Channel 2′s Lori Wilson spoke with the professor, who has made a career of going beyond normal boundaries.

After several missions to space, Magnus is now headed into the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

“It’s a great surprise and a great honor,” she said. “It’s a little bit of a reunion, too, because you see a lot of people you haven’t seen in a while.”

It’s an honor that had the soon-to-be inductee reflecting on a career spent solving problems and devising engineering solutions.

“I remember growing up thinking, ‘Oh, I really want to be an astronaut, but no, why would I get to be an astronaut? Who does that?’” she said.

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Magnus has worked for NASA, McDonnell Douglas and the Department of Defense. Her first space mission was in 2002.

As a living history maker, she said she feels compelled to make sure young women and men know the sky is no longer their limit.

“Just the experiences that I’ve had have really made me passionate about reaching out to young people and saying, ‘You can do this, too. Whatever you dream, just work really hard, ask for help and persevere and it’s possible,’” she said.

Magnus also helped develop the International Space Station in Russia. She said her heart is heavy for her friends in Russia and the people of Ukraine.

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She said she can’t wait until more people go into space because she says when you’re hovering above the planet, you appreciate the Earth, its resources and other people more.

“The better we’re going to treat each other, the better we’re going to treat our planet,” she said.

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