National Hispanic Heritage Month: Olga D. González-Sanabria, NASA Executive and Scientist

Olga D. González-Sanabria, who made notable professional contributions during more than  three decades of service at NASA, was born in southeastern Puerto Rico’s town and municipality of Patillas. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez with a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering. González-Sanabria went to pursue her graduate studies at the University of Toledo, where she earned her master of science degree in chemical engineering.

In 1979, González-Sanabria began her career at NASA’s Lewis Research Center in Ohio. (In 1999, this center was formally renamed the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field.) Over time, González-Sanabria’s responsibilities encompassed a wide range of integrated functions that included engineering, testing, aircraft services, and facility management.

Quite a few of her key contributions involved overseeing the work of a team in the Electrochemistry Branch of the center’s Solar and Electrochemistry Division. This team focused on improving and even inventing devices to help advance space exploration. One of their major innovations in this regard was the development of long cycle-life nickel-hydrogen batteries to replace batteries with fuel cells that tended to deplete far too soon.

The batteries created by González-Sanabria and her team have proven to be vital to the multi-year operations and maintenance of the International Space Station’s power station. In 1988, the team was collectively honored with an R&D 100 award for that pioneering energy storage technology.

In 2002, González-Sanabria achieved another major milestone when she was promoted to director of the Glenn Research Center’s systems management office. This appointment made her the highest-ranking person of Hispanic descent at this center. As director, González-Sanabria oversaw hundreds of employees that included engineers, pilots, and technicians.

Her husband Rafael Sanabria likewise served in senior-level positions at the Glenn Research Center. In 2004, they were featured together in the technical magazine of the Hispanic National Achievement Award Corporation (HENAAC) as “NASA Glen’s Dynamic Duo.” In 2003, Olga was inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame. She has also been the recipient of numerous other honors, including the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal; the NASA Exceptional Service Medal; and the Women of Color in Technology Center Achievement Award. González-Sanabria, who retired from NASA in 2011, was inducted into the NASA Glenn Research Center Hall of Fame in 2021.

In the time since her retirement from NASA, González-Sanabria has become chief executive officer of GS Matrix Consulting LLC. This company focuses on consulting services for those who work in sectors such as engineering and IT. González-Sanabria has also continued to find time to mentor young women and encourage them to pursue studies and careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

Photo Credit: Public Domain For more information on Olga D. González-Sanabria, please check out https://custom-powder.com/mothers-of-invention-olga-d-gonzalez-sanabria/