NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins makes history as the first black woman on the International Space Station for a long-term mission and she’ll also become the first black woman to do a spacewalk. She and three other astronauts were launched into space yesterday (April 27th) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is the 33-year-old’s first trip to space since becoming an astronaut in 2017.
The crew will spend about six months at the ISS and work on more than 200 experiments, including some on smart clothing and artificial retinas. Watkins’ historic journey makes her the fifth black female astronaut to go to space, with Mae Jemison becoming the first 30 years ago in 1992.
The launch is making a dream she’s had since elementary school come true and she hopes her story inspires other young people to go for careers in science, technology, engineering and math. “There's room to invest more in youth education and getting young girls and young people of color involved at an earlier age,” Watkins says, “and then providing them with the support and resources to continue along that path and pursue careers in STEM.”
Source: Good Morning America