Aymette Medina Jorge Official Portrait. Image courtesy of Blue Origin.
Aymette Medina Jorge is the first Hispanic K-12 teacher to travel to space, the first astronaut born in Puerto Rico, and the first teacher to travel to space in a commercial vehicle. On May 31, 2025, Aymette Medina Jorge, along with Similares Pharmacies, marked a milestone by placing the first Mexican product, Dr. Simi, in space. During the New Shepard 32 flight, crew number 12 (Crew 12), the Puerto Rican astronaut became the 19th woman to travel on the New Shepard and the 101st woman to cross the Karman line. The Karman line is the internationally recognized boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and space, defined as 100 kilometers (62 miles) above sea level. The NS-32 exceeded the Karman line, flying at about 104 km. Aymette is the 111th woman to cross the 80 km line, known as the "edge of space," a designation widely accepted and used by the FAA, NASA, and the U.S. Army to recognize those exceeding 50 statute miles above the surface of the Earth on an FAA-licensed or permitted launch or reentry. Amy is the 60th person to fly on the New Shepard, the 696th person to exceed the Karman line, and the 737th person to surpass the edge of space.
Aymette Medina’s mission aboard the NS-32 was notable for its educational and environmental conservation components. Alongside Dr. Simi and Aymette, hundreds of people ventured into space through the unique boarding pass approach created for this mission, which also inspired students who designed digital postcards on the Club for the Future platform, as well as the patches representing Dr. Simi and Amy's mission aboard the NS-32, flown inside the backpack Dr. Simi wore in his astronaut suit. Amy conducted scientific research in the capsule, performing an experiment on heart rate variability. Additional experiments linked to the mission included a Max-IQ Cube SAT coded by her students at Odyssey Academy in Galveston, TX, and an XRP microcontroller (eXponential Robotics Platform) developed in collaboration with Cornell Systems Engineering, FIRST Robotics, and Sparkfun. This microcontroller will enable students to program sensors, conduct research, and build robots. Amy also flew seeds that will be utilized for reforestation and for students to experiment, providing them with a hands-on, real-world experience related to space farming. The NS-32 mission, through Aymette’s figure as a Hispanic teacher and woman, offers a powerful educational, environmental, and inspirational element. Her presence creates a meaningful connection for students and educators worldwide, particularly within the Latin American community, by bridging them to space exploration in English and Spanish.
Aymette Medina with Victor Gonzalez, Similares Pharmacies CEO, and Dr. SImi, after landing in West Texas. Image courtesy of Blue Origin.
Aymette Medina Jorge displaying Ponce's flag, her hometown. Image courtesy of Blue Origin.
Aymette Medina Jorge has been teaching for 17 years, the last five as a Career and Technical Education Teacher at Odyssey Academy Galveston Campus, where she is responsible for multiple STEM projects. Her previous work experience includes teaching at various educational tiers, such as higher education, along with overseeing educational program management for several universities in Puerto Rico and non-profit organizations. She coordinates the Houston-Galveston SeaPerch Region and the ISS (International Space Station) Mimic Edu program in her free time. In addition, she is collaborating with Cornell Systems Engineering (Cornell University), XRP, and FIRST Robotics to develop a robotic platform for high school students, a project to promote the programming and development of technological skills through a low-cost robot. Aymette Medina Jorge holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico. She was born on July 25 in Ponce. She grew up in Villa del Carmen, Ponce, Puerto Rico, where she studied at Angela Cordero Bernard Elementary School, Villa del Carmen Intermediate School, and Ponce High School. She currently lives in Houston, Texas.
Aymette Medina’s research achievements include over 60 projects flown to space in three different vehicles: a NASA Sounding Rocket, a NASA High-Altitude Balloon, and a Raven Aerospace High-Altitude Balloon. She also facilitated over 75 projects for students during her three research campaigns in Zero-G parabolic flights (Zero-G Experience). Recently, she performed and flew four different research opportunities in her suborbital flight onboard the New Shepard (NS-32).
Amy won multiple STEM competitions such as the NASA TechRise Challenge, Cubes in Space, SeaPerch Challenge, and the Congressional App Challenge. Aymette Medina Jorge is an ambassador of many STEM programs such as SeaPerch, Space Foundation Teacher Liaison, Space Station Ambassador, and Cubes in Space. She is also a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Space Exploration Educator Crew (SEEC CREW), the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), and a board member of the International Aerospace Academy, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping teachers and students develop knowledge and skills related to aerospace engineering. Additionally, she volunteers in various educational programs, advising Hispanic students inside and outside the US. She is the founder of several scholarships for Hispanic girls and students interested in space education. Aymette is also the first Space Camp Educator Alumni to go to space.
Amy has presented at multiple conferences, such as SEEC at Space Center Houston, SPACE at the Kennedy Space Center, and OCEANS in Limerick, Ireland. Aymette Medina Jorge was awarded the 2024 Space Center Houston Cherri Brinley Outstanding Educator Award at Space Center Houston, the 2024 Cubes in Space Exceptional Educator Award presented at NASA Goddard Wallops Flight Facility, the 2023 AIAA Trailblazing Educator Award, and the 2017 AIAA Youth Chapter of Puerto Rico Award. Recently, she was recognized by the Governor of Puerto Rico, the Senate of Puerto Rico, and the mayor of Ponce, Amy’s hometown for her spaceflight achievement.
Crew member 7, Jake Mills, welcomes Aymette Medina Jorge as she exits the capsule. Amy proudly displays the Puerto Rican flag. Image courtesy of Blue Origin.