(UnitedVoice.com) – This year has been historic for space exploration. SpaceX sent its first only-civilian crew up into space. Actor William Shatner, 90, became the oldest person to go into space. And soon, the International Space Station (ISS) will be home to a history-making astronaut.
In April 2022, Jessica Watkins will begin a six month assignment on the ISS as a mission specialist. Not only will it be her first mission in space, but she’ll become the first black woman to ever live and work on the space station. She’ll join the Crew-4 with NASA astronauts Robert Hines and Kjell Lindgren, and Samantha Cristoforetti, a European Space Agency astronaut, on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft to get to the ISS. It will be SpaceX’s fourth mission to the station.
Jessica Watkins will make history as the first Black woman to live and work on the International Space Station, starting in April next year.https://t.co/FqhZvCtazL
— NPR (@NPR) November 19, 2021
Watkins, who joined NASA in 2017, said she grew up admiring Sally Ride and Mae Jemison. Ride was the first woman to ever fly in space, and Jemison was the first black female astronaut.
Last year, Watkins told Colorado Public Radio she wants “all young girls, especially young girls of color” who are interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to be empowered to pursue their passion. She hopes her accomplishments will help them see that anything is possible.
America has always been a land of opportunity, Watkins’ accomplishments are proof of that.
Copyright 2021, UnitedVoice.com
