NASA Astronaut Nicole Mann Piloting T-38 Jet | Johnson Space Center

NASA Astronaut Nicole Mann Piloting T-38 Jet | Johnson Space Center

The first Indigenous woman from NASA has gone to space!

Selected as an astronaut candidate in June 2013, Nicole Aunapu Mann has since become the first Indigenous woman from NASA in space. In her first spaceflight, Nicole Mann launched to the International Space Station as commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on Oct. 5, 2022.

As mission commander, she was made responsible for all phases of flight, from launch to re-entry. Nicole Mann will serve as an Expedition 68 flight engineer aboard the station.

In this image from Nov. 15, 2018, NASA astronaut Nicole Mann sits inside a T-38 trainer jet at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas. She served as the T-38 safety and training officer; T-38s are used for pilot proficiency and training for astronauts.

A California native, Nicole Mann holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Mann is a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps and served as a test pilot in the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet. She deployed twice aboard aircraft carriers in support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Astronaut Nicole Mann Official NASA Biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/nicole-a-mann

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/nicole-a-mann/biography

Credit: NASA/JSC

Release Date: October 5, 2022

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