Jeanette Epps, NASA Astronaut, to Become First Black Woman Part of International Space Station Crew
The mission would not only be the first for Epps, but would also see her accompanying accomplished astronauts Sunita Williams and Josh Cassada. The flight will follow NASA certification after a successful uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 and Crew Flight Test with astronauts.
Washington, August 27: Astronaut Jeanette Epps is set to become the first black woman who would be part of a mission crew at the International Space Station (ISS). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in a statement issued this week, announced that Epps has been commissioned as a member of the agency's Boeing Starliner-1 mission. NASA Offers Rs 7.5 Lakh to Engineering Students to Help Them Harvest Water on Moon and Mars, Here's How to Apply.
On this expedition, Epps would be part of the first operational crewed flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on a mission to the ISS. The six-month-long space expedition will be launched in January 2021.
The mission would not only be the first for Epps, but would also see her accompanying accomplished astronauts Sunita Williams and Josh Cassada. The flight will follow NASA certification after a successful uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 and Crew Flight Test with astronauts.
Notably, Epps had graduated in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in Physics from the LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York. The city was also her place of permanent residence. Before joining NASA she earned a doctorate in aerospace engineering in 2000.
"While earning her doctorate, Epps was a NASA Graduate Student Researchers Project fellow, authoring several journal and conference articles on her research. After completing graduate school, she worked in a research laboratory for more than two years, co-authoring several patents, before the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruited her. She spent seven years as a CIA technical intelligence officer before her selection as a member of the 2009 astronaut class," said the press statement issued NASA.
NASA assigned Williams and Cassada to the Starliner-1 mission in August 2018. The spaceflight will be the first for Cassada and third for Williams, who spent long-duration stays aboard the space station on Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry as companies develop and operate a new generation of spacecraft and launch systems capable of carrying crews to low-Earth orbit and to the space station. Commercial transportation to and from the station will provide expanded utility, additional research time and broader opportunities for discovery on the orbital outpost.
For nearly 20 years, the station has served as a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight. As commercial companies focus on providing human transportation services to and from low-Earth orbit, NASA will concentrate its focus on building spacecraft and rockets for deep-space missions.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 27, 2020 11:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).