![\"Astronaut](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/kate-rubins-retirement-pic-2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>NASA astronaut and microbiologist Kate Rubins<\/a> retired Monday after 16 years with the agency. During her time with NASA, Rubins completed two long-duration missions aboard the International Space Station, logging 300 days in space and conducting four spacewalks. A frequent keynote speaker at scientific, educational, and industry events on space biology, biomedical engineering, and human exploration, Rubins has advocated for NASA\u2019s scientific and exploration missions. As she transitions from government service, she remains committed to advancing innovation at the intersection of biology, technology, and space. Learn more about how NASA explores the unknown and innovates for the benefit of humanity at: <\/p>\n https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/<\/a><\/p>\n -end-<\/p>\n Raegan Scharfetter<\/p>\n Johnson Space Center, Houston<\/p>\n 281-910-4989<\/p>\n raegan.r.scharfetter@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a> NASA astronaut and microbiologist Kate Rubins retired Monday after 16 years with the agency. During her time with NASA, Rubins completed two long-duration missions aboard the International Space Station, logging 300 days in space and conducting four spacewalks.\u00a0\u201cI want to extend my sincere gratitude to Kate for her dedication to the advancement of human spaceflight,\u201d [\u2026] Continue reading
\u00a0
\u201cI want to extend my sincere gratitude to Kate for her dedication to the advancement of human spaceflight,\u201d said Steve Koerner, acting director of NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston. \u201cShe is leaving behind a legacy of excellence and inspiration, not only to our agency, but to the research and medical communities as well. Congratulations, Kate, on an extraordinary career.\u201d
\u00a0
Rubins\u2019 first mission to the orbiting laboratory began in July 2016, aboard the first test flight of the new Soyuz MS spacecraft. As part of Expedition 48\/49, she contributed to more than 275 scientific experiments, including molecular and cellular biology research, and she was the first person to sequence DNA in space. Her work enabled significant advances with in-flight molecular diagnostics, long-duration cell culture, and the development of molecular biology tools and processes, such as handling and transferring small amounts of liquids in<\/a> microgravity. Rubins also led the integration and deployment of biomedical hardware aboard the space station, supporting crew health and scientific research in space and on Earth.
\u00a0
She again launched in October 2020, aboard a Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, taking part in Expedition 63\/64. Alongside her crewmates, Rubins spent hundreds of hours working on new experiments and furthering research investigations conducted during her mission, including heart research and multiple microbiology studies. She also advanced her work on DNA sequencing in space, which could allow future astronauts to diagnose illness or identify microbes growing aboard the station or during future exploration missions.
\u00a0
\u201cFrom her groundbreaking work in space to her leadership on the ground, Kate has brought passion and excellence to everything she\u2019s done,\u201d said Joe Acaba, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson. \u201cShe\u2019s been an incredible teammate and role model. We will miss her deeply, but her impact will continue to inspire.\u201d
\u00a0
In addition to her flight assignments, Rubins served as acting deputy director of NASA\u2019s Human Health and Performance Directorate, where she helped guide strategy for crew health and biomedical research. More recently, she contributed to developing next-generation lunar spacesuits, helping prepare for future Artemis missions to the Moon.
\u00a0
\u00a0
Before her selection as an astronaut in 2009, Rubins received a bachelor\u2019s degree in molecular biology from the University of California, San Diego, and a doctorate in cancer biology from Stanford University Medical School\u2019s Biochemistry Department and Microbiology and Immunology Department. After returning from her second space mission, Rubins commissioned as a major in the U.S. Army Reserve, serving as a microbiologist in the Medical Service Corps. She currently holds the role of innovation officer with the 75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command\u2019s MedBio Detachment, headquartered in Boston.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0
\u201cIt has been the honor of a lifetime to live and work in space,\u201d said Rubins. \u201cI am grateful for the extraordinary advances at NASA, and it was a privilege to serve and contribute to something so meaningful. The mission of exploration continues, and I can\u2019t wait to watch this nation do what once seemed impossible.\u201d
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nWendy K. Avedisian <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"