The NASA astronaut is about to depart on her historic mission to the space station in april.
NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins is about to make history because the 1st black woman to go on a mission to the International space station as a part of the crew.
On Tuesday, nasad Space Administration|NASA|independent agency} proclaimed that Watkins can function a skilled worker on an approaching SpaceX Crew-4 mission, set to launch in Gregorian calendar month and last six months.
In the 21 years since the space station 1st began orbiting Earth, only seven of the 249 those who are there were Black, according The new york Times.
Last year, Victor Glover became the primary Black astronaut to measure and work there on a long-term mission lasting quite simply one or two of weeks, and currently Watkins are the first black woman to do thus.
Watkins told the new york Times that she hopes her mission to the space station would serve young girls of color as “an example of the way that they’ll participate and succeed.”
In 2018, another traveller, Jeanette Epps, was set to form history because the 1st adult female to measure at the space platform, however she was replaced by another traveller while not rationalization from NASA. At the time, her brother alleged the choice was a results of racism at the agency. NASA didn’t straightaway reply to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Watkins, World Health Organization is from Colorado, visited Stanford for her undergrad degree then got her degree at the University of Calif., l. a. . She started her career at National Aeronautics {and Space Administration|NASA|independent agency} as an intern, and therefore the space platform mission are her 1st trip to house when being elite as associate traveller in 2017.