People + Culture
The Puerto Rican engineer who helped store energy for space
Olga González-Sanabria grew up in Patillas, studied chemical engineering at the University of Puerto Rico, and helped advance nickel-hydrogen battery technology and separators at NASA Lewis.
Receipt Spine
- NASA Glenn says she grew up in Patillas, earned her chemical engineering degree at the University of Puerto Rico in 1978, and began her NASA career in 1979.
- NASA credits her and her colleagues with advances in battery separators; she was part of the group recognized with a 1988 R&D 100 award for long cycle-life nickel-hydrogen batteries.
- NASA NTRS lists González-Sanabria as a co-author of the 1987 technical memorandum Test results of a 60 volt bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery.
- NASA Glenn identifies her as the first Latina at the center to enter the Senior Executive Service; the exact year is omitted because the biography contradicts itself.