Kathleen Rubins

Kathleen Rubins
NASA Astronaut
Nationality American
Status Active
Born (1978-10-14) October 14, 1978
Farmington, Connecticut, U.S.
Other occupation
 Microbiologist
Time in space
 115d 02h 22m
Selection 2009 NASA Group 20
Total EVAs
 2
Total EVA time
 12 hours 46 minutes
Missions Soyuz MS-01 (Expedition 48)
Mission insignia

Kathleen Hallisey "Kate" Rubins (born October 14, 1978) is a NASA astronaut.[1] She became the 60th woman to fly in space when she launched on a Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station on July 6, 2016.[2]

Personal life and education

Rubins was born in Farmington, Connecticut and raised in Napa, California, graduating from Vintage High School. Her father, Jim, still resides in Napa. Her mother, Ann Hallisey, lives in Davis, California. Rubins is married to Michael Magnani.

She received a Bachelor of Science degree in molecular biology from the University of California, San Diego and a Ph.D. degree in cancer biology from Stanford University Medical School Biochemistry Department and Microbiology and Immunology Department. She was a member of the Kappa Lambda chapter of the Chi Omega sorority while attending UC San Diego.

Irish ancestry

Rubins' mother is Ann Hallisey who resides in Davis, California.[3] Her grandfather was William Bernard Hallisey of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. Her great-grandfather was Patrick Hallisey, born in Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland.[4]

Microbiology research

Rubins conducted her undergraduate research on HIV-1 integration in the Infectious Diseases Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. She analyzed the mechanism of HIV integration, including several studies of HIV-1 Integrase inhibitors and genome-wide analyses of HIV integration patterns into host genomic DNA. She obtained her Ph.D. from Stanford University and, with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rubins and colleagues developed the first model of smallpox infection. She also developed a complete map of the poxvirus transcriptome and studied virus-host interactions using both in-vitro and animal model systems.

Rubins accepted a Fellow/Principal Investigator position at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (MIT/Cambridge, Massachusetts) and headed a lab of researchers studying viral diseases that primarily affect Central and West Africa. Work in the Rubins Lab focused on poxviruses and host-pathogen interaction as well as viral mechanisms for regulating host cell mRNA transcription, translation and decay.[5] In addition, she conducted research on transcriptome and genome sequencing of filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg) and Arenaviruses (Lassa Fever) and collaborative projects with the U.S. Army to develop therapies for Ebola and Lassa viruses.

NASA career

Rubins is pictured aboard ISS with the USB MinION sequencer (lower right) that was used in the first-ever DNA sequencing in space in August 2016.

Rubins was selected in July 2009 as one of 14 members of NASA Astronaut Group 20. She graduated from Astronaut Candidate Training where her training included International Space Station (ISS) systems, Extravehicular Activity (EVA), robotics, physiological training, T-38 flight training and water and wilderness survival training. Rubins was selected as a flight engineer for ISS Expedition 48/49. She became the 60th woman in space when she launched on Soyuz MS-01 in July 2016.[6][7][8][9]

In August 2016, Rubins became the first person to sequence DNA in space.[10] Aboard the ISS, she used a hand-held, USB-powered DNA sequencer called the MinION made by Oxford Nanopore Technologies to determine the DNA sequences of mouse, E. coli bacteria, and lambda phage virus.[11][12] It was a part of the Biomolecule Sequencer experiment, the goal of which was "to provide evidence that DNA sequencing in space is possible, which holds the potential to enable the identification of microorganisms, monitor changes in microbes and humans in response to spaceflight, and possibly aid in the detection of DNA-based life elsewhere in the universe."[13]

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

  1. ↑ NASA HQ (June 29, 2009). "NASA Selects New Astronauts for Future Space Exploration". NASA. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Station-Bound NASA Astronaut is the 60th Woman to Fly into Space". SPACE.com. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  3. ↑ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/rubins-k.pdf NASA Bio, Kate Rubins
  4. ↑ Hallissey Surname Group
  5. ↑ "Vaccinia Virus Infection & Temporal Analysis of Virus Gene Expression". JoVE. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  6. ↑ "NASA Biographical Data - Kathleen (Kate) Rubins (Ph.D.)". NASA. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  7. ↑ "NASA - In Their Own Words: Kathleen (Kate) Rubins". NASA. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  8. ↑ Garcia, Mark. "Future Expeditions". NASA. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
  9. ↑ Yune, Howard (2016-06-01). "Napa-raised astronaut ready for launch to space station". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  10. ↑ Robbins, Gary (August 29, 2016). "UCSD alumna first to sequence DNA in space". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  11. ↑ Gaskill, Melissa (August 29, 2016). "First DNA Sequencing in Space a Game Changer". NASA. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  12. ↑ Dance, Amber (October 19, 2016). "DNA Sequencing in the Final Frontier". BioTechniques. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  13. ↑ Dunn, Andrea (September 29, 2015). "Sequencing DNA in the Palm of Your Hand". NASA. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
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