Joan Higginbotham, who spent 12 days aboard the International Space Station and on a NASA Shuttle mission, now promotes STEM subjects in her role at the Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex
An astronaut deploys a tried-and-tested technique to ensure that she never forgets an item when on holiday.
As one might suspect of a NASA astronaut with an electrical engineering degree and time aboard the International Space Station under her belt, Joan Higginbotham is, as she puts it, “very analytical”.
The Chicago-born 60-year-old has many accolades, including being one of only five African American women to have gone to space and forming part of the crew of the STS-116 mission aboard Space Shuttle Discovery.
She can also proudly claim to be one of the most methodical suitcase packers out there.
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“Part of my DNA is being very analytical, shall we say. As I’m packing, I will make a checklist, which probably speaks to me being an astronaut, as everything we do is via a checklist. We go to the bathroom via a checklist. That is how I organise my packing, I do it by days, I look at the weather, look at whether what I’m wearing is weather appropriate. I will be very transparent. I have an Excel spreadsheet. It goes by day, I map out what I’m going to wear. My husband makes fun of me. I remind him I have never forgotten anything,” Joan explained during a trip to London.
Joan had a 10-year wait after joining the astronaut programme before she was assigned a mission and eventually got to space. During this time, she lost seven of her ASCAN classmates in the devastating 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia accident.
Three years later, she participated in the STS-116 mission aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, which saw her join a crew of seven as a “mission specialist” and spend 12 days in space helping to assemble and upgrade the International Space Station.
Joan’s career began in 1987 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, where, as a Payload Electrical Engineer, she helped to prepare and launch more than 53 Space Shuttle missions. Now she has returned to the Florida space centre as an ambassador, spreading her passion for STEM by meeting young space enthusiasts.
“We are promoting the KSC visitor complex, where visitors can come and do interesting things related to space,” Joan said of her trip to London.
“I like to tout a couple of things that I’ve tried. One is the Shuttle launch simulator; if I had gone on it first, I don’t know if I would’ve gone on the real Shuttle. (The real shuttle) has a lot of motion. There is a lot of shaking, rattling and rolling in the real thing, you will get that in the simulation as well. It is a very interesting ride.
“There is also a virtual reality interactive event where you go on a mission to the Moon with three other people, and you help mine moon rocks. It is kind of a competitive thing. I did not win. There is something called the Launch Complex 39, a 360-degree view of every active launch pad at the space centre.”
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex was ranked the top attraction in the United States and third globally by Tripadvisor in their 2025 Travelers’ Choice Awards. As well as rides and space simulations, one of its big selling points is the presence of retired astronauts such as Joan and Bruce Melnick, who are on hand to chat with members of the public.
The latest guest experience at the Centre is the reworked Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour, which now includes a stop at The Gantry at LC-39. Opened in July 2025, The Gantry at LC-39 offers 360-degree panoramic views of active launch pads and the surrounding wildlife refuge, a full-scale rocket engine that comes to life during a simulated static-fire test – complete with thunderous sound, dazzling lights, and mist.
Hands-on exhibits including a Rocket Build Interactive for designing and virtually launching rockets, and a cutting-edge Earth Information Center showcasing NASA’s planet-monitoring efforts through immersive visuals and interactive media are among the other new draws.
New for Christmas 2025 is a space-themed drone show. Guests can enjoy a brand-new nightly show during the Holidays in Space festive celebrations.
Time your visit right and you’ll be able to watch a live rocket launch from behind NASA’s gates, complete with live commentary from space experts. While weather and technical issues mean that seeing a blast-off is never a sure-fire thing, Kennedy Space Center is on pace for a record-breaking number of launches in 2025.