April Jean Evans
By Eric Berger (Houston Chronicle) Growing up in Lake Jackson, April Jean Evans recalls sitting on her grandfather’s lap, watching space shuttle missions on TV and going outside to look up at the stars with him. There was never any doubt, she says, that she wanted to work for NASA.
Evans, 32, reached that goal after graduating from Texas A&M University, and her career remained ascendant until she learned of the space agency’s plan to irradiate monkeys as part of a $1.75 million experiment. Scientists want to assess health risks astronauts will face from radiation when flying beyond Earth’s orbit.
“I began to feel guilty that I was part of an organization doing this,” she said.
Evans resigned in April as leader of a team of engineers working on the International Space Station. Since leaving NASA, Evans has moved into her brother’s spare room. She’s also falling into debt.
“I’ve dedicated myself to trying to stop these experiments,” she said. “But at some point I’ve got to find a way to pay for my car. I know I need to make a living, but it’s hard for me to think about that because I never expected to be working anywhere but NASA.”
