K. Megan McArthur

K. Megan McArthur
Name	K. Megan McArthur
Birth date	1971
Birth place	Sacramento, California
Nationality	American
Occupation	Oceanographer, Engineer, Astronaut
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, San Diego
Selection	NASA Astronaut Group 19
Missions	STS-125, SpaceX Crew-2

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K. Megan McArthur K. Megan McArthur is an American oceanographer, engineer, and NASA astronaut known for work on the Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission and later on NASA Commercial Crew Program missions with SpaceX. She has collaborated with institutions such as Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and European Space Agency partners, and has engaged with public organizations including National Geographic Society and Smithsonian Institution. Her career spans roles with United States Navy, California Institute of Technology, and international programs like International Space Station operations and Commercial Resupply Services.

Early life and education

McArthur was born in Sacramento, California and raised in a family connected to California State University, Sacramento communities and regional science initiatives linked to San Francisco Bay Area institutions. She attended Arcadia High School (California) and pursued higher education at the University of California, Los Angeles where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering-related studies and completed additional coursework with faculty affiliated with Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology programs. For graduate work she studied at the University of California, San Diego and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, collaborating with researchers connected to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and field programs that interacted with vessels registered through United States Navy logistical frameworks. During her studies she engaged with scholars linked to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and international laboratories in partnership with Australian Antarctic Division and British Antarctic Survey-affiliated projects.

McArthur joined NASA as part of NASA Astronaut Group 19 selection processes and trained alongside peers from institutions including United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, and civilian agencies such as NOAA and European Space Agency. Her astronaut candidacy drew on experience at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and operational work with United States Navy assets, leading to assignments associated with Johnson Space Center training curricula, Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory operations, and mission-planning collaborations with teams from SpaceX and Boeing under Commercial Crew Program agreements. As an astronaut she participated in integrated training exercises with crews drawn from NASA Johnson Space Center, Roscosmos, Canadian Space Agency, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency campuses, contributing to flight-control coordination managed at Mission Control Center Houston and international coordination centers such as Tsukuba Space Center.

McArthur served as a mission specialist on the STS-125 mission organized to service the Hubble Space Telescope, working with crew members from agencies like European Space Agency partners and mission teams from Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. In that role she operated robotic systems and coordinated spacewalk support activities with specialists from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and engineers from Ball Aerospace. Later she commanded mission systems aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Commercial Crew Program flight, collaborating with crewmates affiliated with Axiom Space concepts and payload sponsors such as Spaceflight Industries and NanoRacks. Her missions connected with long-duration objectives on the International Space Station, interface testing for Canadarm2-related operations, and payload transfers managed under Commercial Resupply Services contracts with companies like Orbital Sciences Corporation. Mission briefings and post-flight analyses involved contributions from White House-level science advisors and congressional oversight committees tied to United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Before and between flights McArthur contributed to oceanographic and aerospace engineering research, publishing work in collaboration with laboratories such as Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and datasets curated by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She applied expertise from projects at Caltech and field campaigns with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to instrument development and operations testing for robotic arms and payload attachments designed by firms including SpaceX, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman. Her engineering contributions addressed rendezvous and proximity operations concepts that interfaced with standards from International Organization for Standardization-related aerospace committees and mission assurance practices used by NASA Ames Research Center and Langley Research Center. McArthur collaborated on interdisciplinary teams with scientists from MIT, Stanford University, Princeton University, and University of Michigan to adapt oceanographic sampling techniques to microgravity life science experiments, working with principal investigators supported by National Science Foundation grants and program officers at NASA Science Mission Directorate.

In later career phases McArthur engaged in public outreach and advocacy with organizations including National Geographic Society, Smithsonian Institution, Exploratorium, and educational programs at California Science Center. She appeared in panels with astronauts and scientists from European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and researchers from Harvard University and Columbia University to promote STEM initiatives funded by foundations like Gates Foundation and Simons Foundation. McArthur participated in media collaborations with broadcasters such as PBS, BBC, and National Public Radio while supporting museum exhibits developed by Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and curriculum efforts run by FIRST Robotics Competition and Girls Who Code. Her outreach included partnerships with corporate sponsors like Boeing and SpaceX to support internships at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and fellowships administered through NASA education programs.