Sharife Gacel is based in Central Florida near Kennedy Space Center, where space exploration is part of the local landscape. Sharife is an analog astronaut and has completed two missions. The first was at HI-SEAS in Hawai‘i as the Medical Officer, and the most recent was in Mission Control during the World’s Biggest Analog in Vienna, where she served as the Operations Task Manager and now contributes to the Human Factors team. She is the founder of a multidisciplinary initiative that integrates psychology, space science, art, and public outreach with the mission of Exploring Space, Inspiring Earth. She has participated in 8 NASA Social events and manages social media for her adopted greyhounds, reaching over 25,000 people worldwide. She is also a psychotherapist, specializing in awe-inspired therapy, anxiety, life transitions, and multicultural mental health. Her academic background includes Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Veterinary Medicine, Psychology, and Clinical Mental Health Counseling.