John “Danny” Olivas

Dr. John “Danny” Olivas is a former NASA astronaut who has participated in two space shuttle missions, STS-117 and STS-128 and performed five spacewalks. He has accumulated a total of 27 days, 17 hours, and 5 minutes in space. His first space shuttle mission was STS-117, where he performed two spacewalks and gained 14 hours and 13 minutes of EVA experience. STS-128 was his second space shuttle mission, where he served as a mission specialist and performed three spacewalks.

Dr. Olivas is presently the co-director of the Visual Intelligence and Multimedia Analytics Laboratory at the University of Southern California, researching the uses of artificial intelligence in space-related endeavors. In 2013, he joined the University of Texas at El Paso as Director of the Center for the Advancement of Space Safety and Mission Assurance Research (CASSMAR), where he oversees space initiatives on campus. He was selected by NASA in 1998 as an astronaut candidate and went through extensive training. During his NASA tenure, he had various technical roles within the Robotics Branch and the EVA (Extravehicular Activity) Branch.

Dr. Olivas holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso, a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Houston, and a PhD in mechanical engineering and materials science from Rice University. He is also recognized for his contributions to materials science. Beyond his space career, he appeared as a contestant on Nickelodeon's revival of "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?" in 2019. He is the recipient of the NASA Exceptional Service medal, NASA Exceptional Achievement medal, and two NASA Space Flight medals. He is also the recipient of the 2006 University of Texas at El Paso Distinguished Alumni and the 2020 Rice Engineering Outstanding Alumni awards.