Syracuse native Jeanette Epps retires from NASA
HOUSTON, Texas (WSYR-TV) — Jeanette Epps, the Syracuse native who spent 235 days in space in 2024, has retired from NASA, the agency announced Thursday.
Epps has spent more time in space than any other African American in history.
Epps is an alum of Corcoran High School and Le Moyne College.
NewsChannel 9 followed Epps' journey last year as part of Crew-8, which lived on the International Space Station from March to October.
Epps has visited both of her alma maters since returning to Earth. In February, she visited a science classroom at Le Moyne College. In April, she hosted a panel at Le Moyne and spoke to a large group of students on the auditorium stage of Corcoran High School.
April 8, 2025, was named Jeanette Epps Day in the City of Syracuse and Onondaga County.
At the time, Epps didn't rule out a return trip to space.
'I have had the distinct pleasure of following Jeanette's journey here at NASA from the very beginning,' said Steve Koerner, acting director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. 'Jeanette's tenacity and dedication to mission excellence is admirable. Her contributions to the advancement of human space exploration will continue to benefit humanity and inspire the next generation of explorers for several years to come.'
Before NASA, Epps was a Technical Intelligence Officer at the CIA and worked as a technical specialist for the Ford Motor Company.
In 2009, Epps was selected for NASA's 20th astronaut class.
'Ever since Jeanette joined the astronaut corps, she has met every challenge with resilience and determination,' said NASA's chief astronaut, Joe Acaba. 'We will miss her greatly, but I know she's going to continue to do great things.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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