Ever wondered what exists beyond the planets in our solar system? Elisa Quintana is a postdoc physicist for the NASA Ames Research Center who spends her workday searching for exosolar planets. Her team at NASA studies planet formation, develops computer models, and searches for other Earth-size planets that can maintain water. Elisa always loved learning, but did not discover her interest in math until she started commuity college. She later transfered to the University of California, San Diego, where she pursued a degree in physics after taking a course with Dr. Sally Ride, America's first woman astronaut.