France Cordova
Chief Scientist, NASA

France Cordova grew up in California, the oldest of 12 children in a Mexican-American family. With so many siblings, France gained a serious sense of responsibility. She was as serious about her studies as she was about her family, earning top grades in school. France was named one of California's 10 Outstanding Youth as a senior in high school.

After leaving high school, France went to Stanford University, where she majored in English. On a college trip to work on an archaeological dig in Mexico, France developed a new awareness of her heritage. Despite her interests in literature and writing, France soon discovered a new fascination - space science. After watching news coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing and a documentary about cosmology, France went back to school and eventually earned a Ph.D. in Physics from the California Institute of Technology. After receiving her degree, France went to work at Los Alamos National Labs in New Mexico, and later became a professor, then head of the Astrophysics Department at Pennsylvania State University. In 1993, she was named the Chief Scientist at NASA.

France is married and has two young children. She maintains her position as a professor at Penn State, works full-time in Washington, D.C. at NASA headquarters, and sits on a number of committees and organizations related to space science. In 1994, she was named one of "America's 100 Brightest Scientists Under 40" by Science Digest Magazine. She has received many honors for her work, including a NASA Group Achievement Award.

Photo courtesy of Blackside.
Biography by Lauren Foley.