Ellen Ochoa, former Astronaut and Director, Johnson Space Center

[Archive Interview Feb 4, 2021]

The first time Ellen Ochoa applied to NASA’s space program she wasn’t selected but she saw her rejection as an opportunity, “Sometimes people ask, ‘Well, how did you cope with that failure?’ But I didn’t really see it as a failure. I knew the odds were low, and I had the chance to go to Johnson Space Center to meet other astronauts and get some ideas of what might make me a better candidate in the future.”  Not long afterwards Ellen was selected.  She went on to become the first Hispanic, woman astronaut and flew four missions to space.  Later she took the helm of the Johnson Space Center as its director. “I think redefining failure is important,” Ellen tells Dana Born, HOW Institute fellow, on this episode of HOW Conversations. 

When things don't go right, Ellen says to ask yourself, "What can I learn even though I didn't do as well as I want?" Watch this episode to see why Ellen believes moral leaders need to be humble and curious. And find out how she and her crewmates repaired a torn solar panel on the International Space Station and turned what could have been a failure into a success. 

READY TO START YOUR MORAL LEADERSHIP JOURNEY? Moral leadership is more imperative today than ever before. The HOW Institute for Society was founded on the belief that those in positions of formal authority should also have moral authority.  We are creating the tools leaders need to make principled, ethical and values-based decisions.  We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a world rooted in deep human values and trust in our social fabric. The Institute channels philosophical reasoning to address modern problems. Today, HOW we do what we do matters more than ever and in ways it never has before.  

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