# Sabrina Thompson

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For the reality television contestant, see [Sabrina Thompson (*Survivor* contestant)](/source/Sabrina_Thompson_(Survivor_contestant)).

**Sabrina Nicole Thompson** (born April 9, 1985) is an American aerospace engineer. As a Flight Dynamics Lead Analyst at the [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center](/source/Goddard_Space_Flight_Center) in Maryland, Thompson has developed orbits and trajectories for various [NASA missions](/source/NASA_mission) and mission concepts.[1] She founded a Baltimore-based fashion brand, Girl in Space Club, which garnered press coverage in 2022 on its projects to develop [flight suits](/source/Flight_suit) and [space suits](/source/Space_suit) for [female astronauts](/source/Female_astronauts).

## Early life and education

Sabrina Nicole Thompson[2] was born on April 9, 1985, in [Roosevelt, New York](/source/Roosevelt,_New_York).[3][4] Thompson was raised in Roosevelt and attended Roosevelt Public Schools from [pre-kindergarten](/source/Pre-kindergarten) through high school.[3] Her mother was a nurse and her father was a [charter bus](/source/Charter_bus) driver;[4] she remembers her parents and grandmother inspired an "I-can-do-anything attitude" in her growing up.[5] A player on the girls' [varsity](/source/Varsity_team) basketball team in high school,[3][6] Thompson admired the athletes [Cynthia Cooper](/source/Cynthia_Cooper-Dyke), [Teresa Edwards](/source/Teresa_Edwards), and [Teresa Weatherspoon](/source/Teresa_Weatherspoon) and desired to become an artist or basketball player when she became older.[3][1] She did not know what engineers were until her final year in high school.[3][1] Later, she remarked that although her school district "didn't have the resources like the other schools on [Long Island](/source/Long_Island), I learned a lot. My teachers would do everything they could to get me harder work just to prepare me and help me."[5] By the end of high school, Thompson chose to study engineering at university, after her art teacher recommended she study the subject since she excelled in math and science.[1]

Thompson graduated from high school as co-[valedictorian](/source/Valedictorian) of her class in 2003 and chose to attend the [State University of New York at Stony Brook](/source/Stony_Brook_University) to study mechanical engineering.[1][5] During her undergraduate studies from 2003 to 2007,[2] she completed summer internships at the [American Honda Motor Co.](/source/American_Honda_Motor_Co.), [Brookhaven National Laboratory](/source/Brookhaven_National_Laboratory), and a local product design firm.[7] From 2007 to 2009, she attended the [Georgia Institute of Technology](/source/Georgia_Tech) for a master's degree in [aerospace engineering](/source/Aerospace_engineering)[2] and during this time interned at [NASA Glenn Research Center](/source/NASA_Glenn_Research_Center) in Ohio.[1][7]

## Career

In 2010,[4] Thompson was hired as a [safety engineer](/source/Safety_engineer) at NASA [Goddard Space Flight Center](/source/Goddard_Space_Flight_Center), in [Greenbelt, Maryland](/source/Greenbelt,_Maryland), and worked in the facility's Occupational Safety and Health Division.[1] She first met her mentor [Piers Sellers](/source/Piers_Sellers), a NASA meteorologist and astronaut, during a leadership development program at NASA Goddard, and he would later inspire her to study [atmospheric physics](/source/Atmospheric_physics).[1] She later moved to the Navigation and Mission Design Branch at NASA Goddard and worked as a Navigation & Mission Design Engineer.[3][8] In this position, she worked on trajectories, orbit analysis, and mission design for spaceflight missions using [CubeSats](/source/CubeSat); [research and development](/source/Research_and_development) on using CubeSats for [deep space](/source/Deep_space_exploration) missions; and [flight dynamics](/source/Flight_dynamics) of satellites in the [Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission](/source/Magnetospheric_Multiscale_Mission).[8] She later earned a second graduate degree from the [University of Maryland, Baltimore County](/source/University_of_Maryland,_Baltimore_County) (UMBC)[4][9] and has pursued a PhD in atmospheric physics at the institution since 2017.[2]

With UMBC professor Vanderlei Martins, Thompson worked on the Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (HARP) CubeSat that launched from the [International Space Station](/source/International_Space_Station) in 2020.[10][11][12] HARP2, a copy of HARP with updated instrumentation, is set to be launched on the NASA satellite [Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem](/source/Plankton,_Aerosol,_Cloud,_ocean_Ecosystem) (PACE)[11] by December 2023 at the earliest.[10] In 2021 and 2022, it was reported that Thompson was developing "swarms" of [small satellites](/source/Small_satellite) that can communicate with one another and obtain data on weather patterns at varied times and points of observation.[10][13]

Thompson has spoken with students at educational institutions for the occasions of [Black History Month](/source/Black_History_Month) and [Engineers Week](/source/National_Engineers_Week_(U.S.)), recruited for her employer at colleges, and spoken at events which aim to educate youth about the fields of [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics](/source/Science,_technology,_engineering,_and_mathematics) (STEM).[1] She was vice president of the local Greenbelt Space Chapter of the [National Society of Black Engineers](/source/National_Society_of_Black_Engineers) in her initial years at NASA Goddard.[1]

Thompson told *[Women's Wear Daily](/source/Women's_Wear_Daily)* in 2022 that she had applied to the [NASA astronaut program](/source/NASA_Astronaut_Corps) two times, including once in 2020, and that she plans to reapply in 2024.[4][14]

The game studio Neon, founded in 2020, worked with Thompson to check the accuracy of technical language used in their [blockchain game](/source/Blockchain_game) *Shrapnel*.[15]

## Girl in Space Club

In 2018, Thompson created a [direct-to-consumer](/source/Direct-to-consumer) [streetwear](/source/Streetwear) brand named Girl in Space Club.[4][14] She founded the fashion brand with the aim of making STEM "fun and fashionable",[14] as she felt the "artist inside of me was internally starving" despite being satisfied with her career.[4] The brand began to be profitable in 2020 through online and [pop-up](/source/Pop-up_retail) sales and its products in 2022 included [jean jackets](/source/Jean_jacket), [T-shirts](/source/T-shirt), and [digital prints](/source/Digital_print).[4]

In 2022, its projects to design a [flight suit](/source/Flight_suit) and a pressurized [space suit](/source/Space_suit) for [female astronauts](/source/Female_astronauts) were featured by *Women's Wear Daily* and [CNBC](/source/CNBC).[4][14] That year Thompson said the space suit was in the "research and design phase" and that she was in the "early stages" of meeting with collaborators and seeking investors and grants for funding. She plans to make the flight suit available for purchase for $600.[4][14]

The Girl in Space Club hosts workshops for youth in Baltimore which combine STEM topics with fashion.[16]

## References

1. Jarrell, Elizabeth M. (July 20, 2021). ["Dynamic Sabrina Thompson Not Your Typical Flight Dynamicist"](https://web.archive.org/web/20221116175438/https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/dynamic-sabrina-thompson-not-your-typical-flight-dynamicist/). [NASA](/source/NASA). Archived from [the original](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/dynamic-sabrina-thompson-not-your-typical-flight-dynamicist) on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.

1. ["Sabrina Nicole Thompson"](https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sed/bio/sabrina.n.thompson). [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center](/source/NASA_Goddard_Space_Flight_Center). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221119201108/https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sed/bio/sabrina.n.thompson) November 19, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 19, 2022.

1. ["Sabrina Thompson"](https://web.archive.org/web/20211211203057/https://women.nasa.gov/sabrina-thompson/). Women@NASA. Archived from [the original](https://women.nasa.gov/sabrina-thompson/) on December 11, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2022.

1. Feitelberg, Rosemary (June 23, 2022). ["NASA Engineer and Girl in Space Club Founder Talks New Frontiers"](https://wwd.com/eye/people/nasa-engineer-girl-in-space-founder-1235225630/). *[Women's Wear Daily](/source/Women's_Wear_Daily)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221113075743/https://wwd.com/eye/people/nasa-engineer-girl-in-space-founder-1235225630/) November 13, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 15, 2022.

1. Winslow, Olivia (May 18, 2007). ["Roosevelt alums defy odds"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113380478/roosevelt-alums-defy-odds/). *[Newsday](/source/Newsday)*. p. 20. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221120203016/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113380478/roosevelt-alums-defy-odds/) November 20, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 20, 2022. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. Burns, Deirdre (February 23, 2003). ["Green Gets Roosevelt By Jericho"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113381421/green-gets-roosevelt-by-jericho/). *[Newsday](/source/Newsday)*. p. 73. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221120203808/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113381421/green-gets-roosevelt-by-jericho/) November 20, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 20, 2022. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. Temkin, Kristen (April 4, 2018). ["Sabrina Thompson '07: Girl In Space"](https://news.stonybrook.edu/alumni/sabrina-thompson-07-girl-in-space/). [Stony Brook University](/source/Stony_Brook_University). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221129164706/https://news.stonybrook.edu/alumni/sabrina-thompson-07-girl-in-space/) November 29, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 19, 2022.

1. ["Stony Brook 40 Under Forty: Sabrina Thompson'07"](https://www.stonybrook.edu/40underforty/2017/people/Sabrina-Thompson). [Stony Brook University](/source/Stony_Brook_University). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221130114410/https://www.stonybrook.edu/40underforty/2017/people/Sabrina-Thompson) November 30, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 28, 2022.

1. ["MS Thesis Defense: Sabrina Thompson"](https://physics.umbc.edu/home/events/?id=94417). *physics.umbc.edu*. [University of Maryland, Baltimore County](/source/University_of_Maryland,_Baltimore_County). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210728144945/https://physics.umbc.edu/home/events/?id=94417) July 28, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 20, 2022.

1. Hille, Karl B. (August 31, 2021). ["NASA Works to Give Satellite Swarms a Hive Mind"](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/nasa-works-to-give-satellite-swarms-a-hive-mind). [NASA](/source/NASA). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221018122110/http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/nasa-works-to-give-satellite-swarms-a-hive-mind/) October 18, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 26, 2022.

1. ["HARP marks NASA's first attempt to put a polarimeter on a CubeSat."](https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2020/tiny-nasa-satellite-captures-first-image-of-clouds-and-aerosols). [NASA](/source/NASA). May 14, 2020. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221211214856/https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2020/tiny-nasa-satellite-captures-first-image-of-clouds-and-aerosols/) December 11, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 26, 2022.

1. ["HARP CubeSat"](https://esi.umbc.edu/hyper-angular-rainbow-polarimeter/). [University of Maryland, Baltimore](/source/University_of_Maryland,_Baltimore). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221121150947/https://esi.umbc.edu/hyper-angular-rainbow-polarimeter/) November 21, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 26, 2022.

1. * Goldstein, Phil (February 23, 2022). ["Swarm Intelligence: What Is It and How Are Agencies Using It?"](https://fedtechmagazine.com/article/2022/02/swarm-intelligence-what-it-and-how-are-agencies-using-it-perfcon). *FedTech Magazine*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221001152654/https://fedtechmagazine.com/article/2022/02/swarm-intelligence-what-it-and-how-are-agencies-using-it-perfcon) October 1, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 26, 2022. * Breeden II, John (September 8, 2021). ["Swarms May Offer Next Level Artificial Intelligence"](https://www.nextgov.com/ideas/2021/09/swarms-may-offer-next-level-artificial-intelligence/185177/). *[Nextgov](/source/Nextgov)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221129022357/https://www.nextgov.com/ideas/2021/09/swarms-may-offer-next-level-artificial-intelligence/185177/) November 29, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 26, 2022.

1. Smith, Morgan (November 11, 2022). ["This 37-year-old NASA engineer is designing a spacesuit for women on the side: 'It's not just cool, it's necessary'"](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/11/this-nasa-engineer-is-designing-a-spacesuit-for-women-on-the-side.html). [CNBC](/source/CNBC). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221115062031/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/11/this-nasa-engineer-is-designing-a-spacesuit-for-women-on-the-side.html) November 15, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 15, 2022.

1. Takahashi, Dean (June 5, 2023). ["Left Fielder Media partners with Neon to bring characters to life in Shrapnel"](https://venturebeat.com/games/left-fielder-media-partners-with-neon-to-bring-characters-to-life-in-shrapnel/). *[VentureBeat](/source/VentureBeat)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230707232207/https://venturebeat.com/games/left-fielder-media-partners-with-neon-to-bring-characters-to-life-in-shrapnel/) July 7, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 7, 2023.

1. Burnett, Kara (8 March 2024). ["NASA aerospace engineer helps Baltimore youth reach for the stars"](https://www.wmar2news.com/homepage-showcase/nasa-aerospace-engineer-helps-baltimore-youth-reach-for-the-stars). [WMAR](/source/WMAR). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240428154757/https://www.wmar2news.com/homepage-showcase/nasa-aerospace-engineer-helps-baltimore-youth-reach-for-the-stars) April 28, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 April 2024.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sabrina Thompson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabrina_Thompson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabrina_Thompson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.