Kathleen Rubins

Kathleen Rubins, born on October 14, 1978, is a distinguished American microbiologist and retired NASA astronaut. She has made significant contributions to the field of biomedicine, currently serving as the inaugural director of the Trivedi Institute for Space and Global Biomedicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

Rubins achieved a remarkable milestone in her career when she became the sixtieth woman to fly in space. On July 7, 2016, she launched aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), where she was a vital crew member of both Expedition 48/49 and Expedition 63/64.

During her time in space, Rubins spent a total of three hundred days, one hour, and thirty-one minutes, ranking her fourth for the most days spent in space by a U.S. female astronaut. She returned to Earth on October 30, 2016, landing in Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz spacecraft.