DOWNEY, Calif. () — This women’s history month, a NASA legend and aerospace trailblazer was honored.
Ethel L. Lee, also known as “Space Shuttle Ethel,” turned 99 years old. Ethel’s family, Supervisor Janice Hahn and the Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey celebrated her birthday and accomplishments.
“She owned Lee’s Cafe in South L.A. It was on Main Street, and she said it was always her destiny to send a man to the moon,” said her granddaughter Daphne Bradford. “So when she found out about NASA opening up a site here in Downey, Rockwell, she applied and so she made the transition.”
Those dreams led her to become one of the first African American women to help build space shuttles.
“Over the course of her extraordinary career, Ethel L. Lee was instrumental in building NASA’s first six space shuttles: Colombia, the Challenger, the Discovery, the Atlantis, the Endeavor, and the Enterprise,” said Hahn..
And now Ethel is being honored. “NASA Life of Ethel Lee” is currently on display at the Columbia Memorial Space Center. It’s a Women’s History Month exhibit that honors her aerospace career and Lee says she is proud of all she’s accomplished.
Hahn also announced a $50,000 grant to support Ethel’s granddaughter’s nonprofit work. The Lee family’s space and S.T.E.A.M. legacy spans three generations.
And now, they all look forward to celebrating Ethel’s 100th birthday next year.
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