Dr. Sian Proctor is a SpaceX Astronaut, Geoscientist, Explorer, Space Artist, and Science Communicator with a passion for space exploration. In Spring 2021, she was selected to pilot the SpaceX Dragon capsule for the Inspiration4 mission that took place in September 2021. She has completed four space analog missions including the all-female SENSORIA Mars 2020 mission at the Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) Habitat, the NASA funded 4-months Mars mission at HI-SEAS, a 2-weeks Mars mission at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), and a 2-weeks Moon mission in the LunAres Habitat.

Dr. Proctor was a finalist for the 2009 NASA Astronaut Program and got down to the yes/no phone call which came from Astronaut Sunita Williams.

Dr. Proctor is a continuing NASA Solar System Ambassador and serves on the Explore Mars Board of Directors, JustSpace Alliance Advisory Board, the Science in the Wild Advisory Board, the SEDS USA Advisory Board, and the National Science Teaching Association’s Aerospace Advisory Board. In 2019, she was the science communication outreach officer on the JOIDES Resolution Expedition 383 and spent 2-months at sea with researchers investigating the Dynamics of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. She also participated in the 2-week faculty development seminar Exploring Urban Sustainability in India.

Dr. Proctor was a 2017 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Teacher at Sea, a 2016 Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassador (ACEAP), and a 2014 PolarTREC Teacher investigating climate change in Barrow, Alaska. She holds the rank of Major in the Civil Air Patrol and serves as a member of the Arizona Wing Aerospace Education Office.

Dr. Proctor spent over 20 years as a professor teaching geology, sustainability, and planetary science at South Mountain Community College, Phoenix, Arizona. She is currently the Open Education Resource Coordinator for the Maricopa Community College District. She has a B.S. in Environmental Science, an M.S. in Geology, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction: Science Education. She recently finished a sabbatical at Arizona State University’s Center for Education Through Exploration creating virtual field trips. She did her 2012-13 sabbatical at the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute developing their science of disasters curriculum.

Dr. Proctor believes that when we solve for space, we also solve issues on Earth. She is an international speaker who enjoys engaging in educational outreach and promotes sustainable food practices used in space exploration as a way to reduce food waste on Earth. She has a TEDx talk called Eat Like a Martian and is an author of two books: Meals for Mars Cookbook and her recent book Space2Inspire: The Art of Inspiration.