France A. Córdova

France A. Córdova is known for her work as the first woman, Latina, and youngest chief scientist at NASA. When she was younger, she had very little access to science.[1] She was discouraged from learning science at all.[1] After graduating at the top of her high school, she was named one of the ten outstanding youths in California by the California Chamber of Commerce.[1] In 1979, she decided she wanted to become an astrophysicist and obtained a Ph.D at the California Institute of Technology.[1][2] At Caltech, she focused on double-star systems.[1] She accepted an offer from Penn State to become a professor in the department of astrology.[1] She continued her astrology research for 4 years.[1] In 1993, she was asked to leave her current work to be at NASA as a chief scientist.[1][2]

France A. Córdova has many achievements working as an astrophysicist. France A. Cordova has published more than 150 scientific papers.[2] Her multispectral research on X-ray and gamma-ray sources and spaceborne instrumentation has made her an internationally recognized astrophysicist.[2] She has served in prominent leadership roles.[2] Prominent means important. Additionally, she discovered a double-star system.[1] A double-star system is a pair of stars that circle each other. It’s like two dancers holding hands and spinning around their center

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Warmflash, David; MD. "France Anne-Dominic Córdova | Scientists and Research". Visionlearning. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Dr. France A. Córdova". California Museum. Retrieved 2025-04-21.