PoSSUM 13 Members

Bailey Burns was born and raised in Colorado, USA and is a member of the PoSSUM 1902 class. Ms. Burns’ unquenchable curiosity and desire to understand the world around her drove her to perform preliminary research in optimizing chemiluminescence activity and to graduate high school with an International Baccalaureate Diploma. She then graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with her BS degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Economics and Business. Ms. Burns is currently pursuing her Master’s in Space Resources at Mines. 

Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere Scientist-Astronaut Class 1902, Dr. Aidyl Gonzalez-Serricchio, earned her Doctorate in Molecular Genetics at California Institute of Technology, then continued her post-doctoral work on myotonic dystrophy at the Institute of Genetic Medicine at the University of California.  Dr. Gonzalez later became a co-principal investigator on sperm motility and mitochondrial defects using roundworms as the investigative tool and lecturer.  An accident leads her to research pain regulation and nociceptive receptors at the California Institute of Technology using zebrafish as her investigative tool.

Bethany works in the domains of public outreach and communications for the space industry and is a scientist-astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM (Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere). Born and raised on the island of Newfoundland in eastern Canada, she now works worldwide for various space organizations, including agencies, start-up companies and universities, to communicate specific missions as well as scientific and technical developments to broader audiences for general comprehension and engagement through the company she founded, Reaching Space Science. She holds degrees in geography (BSc, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada) and space studies (MSc, International Space University, France), the later of which included an internship in the communications department at the European Space Agency.

Shayla K. Redmond served as an Air Battle Manager for seven and a half years, at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. She received Bachelor of Science degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Physics from Tuskegee University and a Masters of Science Degree in Systems Engineering with a concentration in Space Systems from the Air Force Institute of Technology. Completing a Thesis on “Conceptual Architecture System to Measure the Effects of Subauroral Polarization Streams on Radar Operations”. For the past six years Shayla has been a volunteer educator for schools and different organizations. She is apart of the National STEM Academy for Georgia where she participates in professional development for teachers and volunteers year round to support educating people of all ages. Shayla balances between being a mother of two and an active advocate of STEAM( Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics) developing events that incorporate the “ARTS” in the sciences. She looks forward to continuing her knowledge in research and the testing field of the upper atmosphere and beyond.

Yvette is a Human Resilience expert, Astropreneur, and Scientist-Astronaut Candidate. With 20 years of Development/Emergency Response experience rebuilding communities in active war, conflict, natural disasters, and epidemiological outbreaks, she adapts her skills to focus on Human Factors in space technology, flight, and experience.   Most notably the physiological and anthropological effects of long term flight missions and space habitation. Her transitional career is an example of the possibility of commercial and private sector space flight opportunity for all generations. Yvette aims to be one of many future Native Americans to conduct research in sub-orbit, orbit, and the moon and supports space settlement education, science, technological efforts, missions, and policy dialogue. Yvette is an active member of Project PoSSUM citizen science campaigns.

Dr. Shawna Pandya is a citizen-scientist astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM, physician-surgeon, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver and pilot-in-training. She holds degrees in Honors Neuroscience (BSc Hons. Neuroscience, University of Alberta), space (MSc Space Studies, International Space University), entrepreneurship (Graduate Studies Program, Singularity University) and medicine (MD, University of Alberta), and is currently completing concurrent fellowships in Wilderness Medicine (Academy of Wilderness Medicine) and Enhanced Surgical Skills (University of Saskatchewan). Dr. Pandya was appointed course instructor for Project PoSSUM’s EVA 101: Space and Wilderness Medicine, which ran its first iteration in Colorado in September 2017. Prior to this, Dr. Pandya successfully completed Scientist-Astronaut Candidate training with Project PoSSUM (Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere) and was on the first crew to test a commercial spacesuit in zero-gravity, and has continued to tests commercial spacesuits with Project PoSSUM’s annual microgravity parabolic flight campaigns.

Jupiter Jones was born and raised in rural Canada until the age of 18 when she decided to move to Toronto to pursue her education and passion for science. Currently, Jupiter is attending York University working towards her degree in Theoretical Astrophysics with aspirations to earn her Ph.D. Aside from formal education, Jupiter wanted to get more hands-on experience  - volunteering at the Allen I. Carswell Astronomical Observatory, becoming a PoSSUM 1902 Advanced Academy alumni and receiving her pilots’ license.

Catherine’s interest in aviation and space flight started in childhood. She went to Cape Canaveral for this first time when she was 8. She has been a pilot for over 30 years. She holds a H. BSc. and MSc from the University of Guelph focused on human biology and then muscle biology. Further doctoral work was completed in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Iowa State University. Her early career was a series of leadership roles in health care, from public health, regional health delivery and finishing in an advisory role to the provincial Minister of Health. Building on her expertise in data management and technology she transitioned to a professional services technology consultancy eventually becoming the CIO of a large academic hospital. She currently owns a consultancy focused on global technology implementations.

Katya Echazarreta was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. She was raised in San Diego where from a very young age she became fascinated by the night sky. As a child, she drew her own maps of the constellations and the stars by observing them night after night. She made up her mind to work for NASA at only 7 years old.

Dr. Proctor is a geoscientist, explorer, and science communication expert with a passion for space exploration. She’s an analog astronaut and has completed four analog missions including the all-female Sensoria Mars 2020 mission at the Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) Habitat and a NASA funded 4-months Mars mission at HI-SEAS. She believes that solving for space actually solves issues on Earth. She has a TEDx talk called Eat Like a Martian and published the Meals for Mars Cookbook. She is a continuing Solar System Ambassador and serves on the National Science Teaching Association’s Aerospace advisory board, the JustSpace Alliance board, and the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) USA advisory board. In 2019, she was the science communication outreach officer on the JOIDES Resolution Expedition 383. She was a 2017 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Teacher at Sea, a 2016 Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassador (ACEAP), and a 2014 PolarTREC Teacher.

Heidi Hammerstein is a bi-lingual, multi-degreed, published engineer with a BS in aerospace engineering (Cal Poly ’91) and seventeen years of aerospace engineering - R&D, flight test, performance, systems engineering, and project management experience. Heidi has worked for six different aerospace entities including Gulfstream Aerospace, Boeing, NASA, McDonnell- Douglas, Grob Luft und Raumfahrt, and the United States Air Force. Also an experienced scientist, Heidi holds research-based MS degrees in molecular biology (UNT ’04) and environmental engineering (Georgia Tech ‘13), focusing on laboratory, and protocol development for biomolecular space and planetary-based research. A licensed pilot and scuba diver, Heidi is a space and planetary exploration enthusiast with a passion for the advancement of the commercial space industry. She is an active scientific member, and astronaut candidate for Project PoSSUM training for suborbital missions to conduct in situ studies of Polar Mesospheric Clouds.

Dr. Yajaira Sierra-Sastre is a materials scientist and informal science educator with more than fifteen years of R&D experience in academia, start-up companies, and the U.S. federal government. Yajaira holds a BS degree from the University of Puerto Rico and a PhD in Nanomaterials Chemistry from Cornell University.  A teacher-turned scientist, she is extremely passionate about STEM education and has collaborated with numerous organizations for the execution of citizen-science initiatives in the Americas.  In 2013, Yajaira served as the Chief Science Officer for the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, a four-month-long Mars analog mission funded by NASA.  Yajaira 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.

Starr Schroeder graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She is currently a Registered Nurse citizen-scientist. She graduated Project PoSSUM Advanced Academy in 2018. Starr is a member of the Association of Spaceflight Professionals where she is co-lead for research involving medical guidelines in commercial space flight participants. Her team presented “Medical Guidelines for Commercial Space Flight: A Review” at the International Astronautical Congress in October 2019. Additionally, she is a member of the Aerospace Medical Association, National Space Society and the Moon Village Association. She is a Master’s candidate in Human Factors in Aerospace at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Her publications include chapters on Spaceflight Nutritional Support, Future Trends in Spacesuits, as well as The Lunar Environment (in review). Starr is involved in multiple collaborations including research related to ECG changes during parabolic flight. Her goal is to incorporate her experience in medicine into her love for space by assisting the development of space medicine in current and future space exploration. Her outreach focus aims to bring STEM opportunities to students in under-served and urban areas.