STEM
Space Chica
Debbie Ramos Trainor
Retired NASA Space Flight Training Manager
Author of:
Tortillas to Astronauts: An Unexpected Journey
Achieving new heights!
Debbie was part of the Space Flight Training Management team for over 20 years and has been speaking to minorities, women and anyone who needs to be motivated to pursue their dreams.
As a retiree of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), she is now available for public speaking and consultation.
Job History
Debbie Trainor worked at the NASA/Johnson Space Center (JSC) for 29 years. She was a proud member of the Mission Operations team for over 20 years working in the space flight training program. Her space flight training experience started when she taught astronauts and mission controllers how to use the computer system for the International Space Station. She held various training positions including a one year tour as the NASA training coordinator in Star City, Russia and the Training Manager for the first crew to fly on the International Space Station. Her last position with NASA was training lead for the Astronaut Candidate (ASCAN) Working Group which is responsible for developing and conducting training for new astronaut candidates. The last ASCAN working group she led was for the ASCAN class of 2013.
Training Consultant
Debbie has the experience of many positions which were firsts in the space flight training program. She developed astronaut training curriculum which encompassed technical, teamwork and leadership training. She also published many NASA documents such as Astronaut Candidate training catalogs and training lessons learned.
In addition to the development of training curriculum, Debbie traveled with astronaut candidates throughout their basic training all over the world.
Motivational Speaker
Debbie was an active member of the JSC Speakers Bureau. As a female minority in a Science, Technical, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) career, she was often asked to speak to various audiences to promote NASA, STEM education, community outreach and teamwork motivation.
She was highlighted as one of NASA's inspirational women for Women's Month in March of 2009 and 2014. In September 2002, she participated as a NASA representative in the first Latino International Women's Congress which was held in Puerto Rico.