Karen L. Nyberg (b. 1969) is an American mechanical engineer and NASA astronaut. This Minnesota native began working at the Johnson Space Center while still a University of North Dakota student in the 1990s. In 2000, she was selected to train for NASA's space program. She made her first flight in 2008, as part of STS-124, and has logged 180 days in space as of 2014.Photo: NASA