Carlos I. Noriega
A Marine Corps aviator who soared from Lima, Peru, to the space shuttle, becoming the first Peruvian-born explorer of the cosmos.
Born 1959 (age 67)·Peruvian-American astronaut·Birthday: October 8·Baby Boomers
Biography
Carlos Noriega's journey to orbit is a story of discipline and transcontinental ambition. Born in Lima, his family's move to California as a child set him on a path through the U.S. Marine Corps, where he became a pilot and test officer. Selected by NASA in 1994, he combined technical acuity with a soldier's focus. His first mission in 1997 aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis was a crucial docking with the Russian Mir station, a complex post-Cold War handshake in space. On his second flight in 2000, he ventured outside the shuttle on a spacewalk to help install the massive solar array truss for the fledgling International Space Station. In doing so, he carried the pride of Peru with him, a symbol of how far determination can launch a person.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Carlos was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Carlos Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Carlos's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 60
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 67 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the first person born in Peru to travel to space.
- Logge over 19 days in space across two Space Shuttle missions (STS-84 and STS-97).
- Performed a spacewalk (EVA) during STS-97 to assist in the installation of the International Space Station's first solar arrays.
- Served as a mission specialist on STS-84, which involved a docking operation with the Russian space station Mir.
Did You Know?
Before becoming an astronaut, he was a Marine Corps aviator who flew combat missions in Operation Just Cause in Panama.
He holds a Master of Science degree in computer science and another in space operations.
After retiring from NASA and the Marine Corps, he worked in the private aerospace sector.
“You look down at Earth and realize every border is a line we drew ourselves.”
