Amy Medina Jorge from Odyssey Academy in Galveston will be part of the Blue Origin NS-32 crew.
VAN HORN, Texas — A Galveston educator is preparing to make history as one of six crew members aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard mission on Saturday.
Amy Medina Jorge, a high school and middle school STEM teacher at Odyssey Academy in Galveston, will be part of the NS-32 crew. The launch will take place from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas, with the window opening at 8:30 a.m. Houston time.
Born in Puerto Rico, Medina Jorge’s mission is to boost Hispanic representation in STEM fields and expand opportunities for underrepresented communities in science. She has led more than 60 student space experiments and Zero-Gravity projects, including flying biometric sensors developed by her students and conducting in-flight 3D printing during a parabolic zero-gravity flight.
Her seat on the mission is sponsored by Farmacias Similares, a Mexican company focused on social impact and accessible healthcare across Latin America.
Medina Jorge was honored with the 2023 AIAA and Challenger Center Trailblazing STEM Educator Award, which recognizes educators who inspire the next generation of explorers and innovators.
The NS-32 mission patch features several symbols representing each crew member. For Medina Jorge, the microchip, gears, and Pi symbols highlight her dedication to STEM education and advocacy for diversity in the field.
The full crew includes Jorge, Dr. Gretchen Green, Jaime Alemán, Jesse Williams, Mark Rocket and Paul Jeris. This will be the 12th human flight for Blue Origin’s New Shepard program and its 32nd mission overall.
For more updates, follow Blue Origin on social media or sign up for mission alerts at BlueOrigin.com.