Christy Hansen, 34, Media native
United Space Alliance engineer who trains astronauts; 1997 Villanova University graduate
» Books on her nightstand: I like to climb mountains, so I read mountaineering books. I do like the Harry Potter series—I’ve read all of those.
» iPod music on repeat: When I run or workout, I have ’80s mixes. I do like hip-hop; the Black Eyed Peas would be one of my favorites.
» Restaurant of the hour: Back in the day, I used to like going to Bertucci’s.
» Personal heroes: The soldiers who fight for our freedom. Because of them, I can do the job I do today. I’m thankful for that.
» One thing she knows for sure: I’ll never give up on what my dreams are. Someone might say, “No,” but you never let it get you down.
» Very own vici: The last mission I worked on with a team to prepare the astronauts to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. That was about three years of work, taking all of the information and writing it into procedures that the astronauts follow while they’re in space.
» Zen destination: Any kind of mountaineering trip that involves camping in the ice and snow. Some of my astronaut friends got me into it, and I love it.
» If she had an extra hour each day, she would: Probably workout more.
» Life view: chance or fate? I think a lot of it is chance, mixed with how much you apply yourself to a situation.
» Pet peeve: People who show up late for meetings—or anything, for that matter.
» Most marked characteristics: Since I moved down to the South, I think people see me as having a lot of energy and enthusiasm.
» Quality she admires most in others: Respect.
» Mantra: Never assume anything. I see a lot of people in different areas of my life make assumptions, and it’s the worst thing you can do.
