When the space shuttle Discovery mission launched on March 15, it carried two UC graduates on board.

For astronaut John Phillips, a UCLA alumnus, the flight marked his third journey into space. Former middle school math and science teacher Joseph Acaba, a UC Santa Barbara graduate, took his first trip into orbit. The two are on a mission to deliver a giant solar panel to the International Space Station. That addition to the space station will increase its electricity–generating capacity, allowing larger crews to live and conduct research on the craft.

UC Davis boasts two astronauts — Tracy Caldwell and Steve Robinson. Caldwell ventured into space in 2007, and Robinson, in 1997, 1998 and 2005.

From the earliest days of U.S. space exploration, UC research labs and scientists have made important contributions to NASA, such as advancing space science, building instruments for space missions, collecting data amd furthering the understanding of the universe’s “dark matter.”

More information: www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/19392.