Elaine Hyde is a physicist, business woman and pilot. She is a dual Australian and United States citizen. She has officially made history as the first Australian woman to reach sub-orbital space on a Blue Origin flight that took place on Tuesday, February 25 at 9:30 a.m. CST.
After stints as a research scientist and management consultant, Elaine founded Chicago Star Media, which launched as a local print newspaper.
Under her leadership, Chicago Star grew into a communications services firm with clients spanning the globe. Elaine currently operates Eastside Enterprises, a research and development company that focuses on AI-assisted media products.
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PERSONAL LIFE
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Education
Elaine attended Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Burwood, Victoria. As part of her education at PLC, her adventurer’s spirit was nurtured by participating in many outdoor camps. She would spend hours gazing at the stars and exploring the Australian outback.
A graduate of the University of Melbourne, Elaine studied business and physics with a focus on developing experiments for space. Her ambition led her to the United States so she could be closer to the space race. She worked as an intern in the astrophysics labs at the University of Pennsylvania, later becoming a research scientist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Her work further fueled her passion for space.
Family
Elaine and her husband Joey live with their five children in Florida.
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CHILDHOOD
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Elaine was born in Singapore. Her mother worked for Marconi Communications Systems as a quality control engineer and her father was a telecommunications engineer. When she was four years old, her parents immigrated to Australia to start a computer distribution business. The personal computer industry was just taking off and Elaine grew up putting together motherboards in the back of her parent’s shop.
At age 16, she attended Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Alabama, an experience that only deepened her resolve to reach the stars.