Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides

Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides
Alma materStanford University
California Institute of Technology
International Space University
Known forSpace flight
SpouseGeorge T. Whitesides
Children2
Websitewww.lorettawhitesides.com

Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides is an American public speaker, co-creator of Yuri's Night, and an author on space exploration.[1] She accumulated over five hours of weightless time as a Flight Director for Zero-G Corporation, and plans to travel to space as a "Founder Astronaut" on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo.[2] She is married to George T. Whitesides, Congressman from California who was elected in 2024.[3][4]

Whitesides received a bachelor's degree in biology from Stanford and a master's from Caltech,[5] where she showed an interest in astrobiology. She appeared in the 3D IMAX documentary "Aliens of the Deep" alongside director James Cameron traveling to hydrothermal vents two miles under the ocean. She has also visited Haughton impact crater in the arctic to study plants surviving in extreme environments.[6] In addition, she has given numerous TEDx talks about space exploration and personal development.[7][8]

  1. ^ Mooslechner, Markus (2024-10-25). "The Space Café Podcast #118 with Loretta Whitesides". SpaceWatch.Global. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  2. ^ "How This 'Founder Astronaut' Is Prepping for Space Travel". PCMAG.
  3. ^ Vakil, Caroline (2024-11-12). "Democrat defeats Republican Rep. Garcia in key California House race". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  4. ^ Branson-Potts, Hailey (2024-11-12). "Whitesides captures L.A. County congressional seat in a major victory for Democrats". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  5. ^ "Loretta Hidalgo | The Space Show". thespaceshow.com.
  6. ^ "Loretta Whitesides".
  7. ^ TEDx Talks (2009-12-15). TEDxNASA - Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides - 11/20/09. Retrieved 2024-11-12 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ TEDx Talks (2015-09-01). What is Your Mission? | Loretta Whitesides | TEDxPasadenaWomen. Retrieved 2024-11-12 – via YouTube.