On Wednesday April 27, Space X launched Crew 4 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Four astronauts are on board ahead of spending six months on the ISS. However, while all the astronauts on board are special, one is making history. Her name: Jessica Watkins.
How is she making history?
Watkins made history by being the fifth black woman to go to space. Not only that, but she is the first black woman to work on the ISS for an extended period of time. She and her fellow astronauts on Crew 4 will be spending six months on the ISS. They will be working on over 200 science experiments. They continue the work that NASA is doing aboard the ISS. These include experiments to see how they can support deep space exploration, but also how space is affecting the human body and more.
Speaking with NPR before leaving for the ISS, the astronaut said that ‘it’s a tribute to the legacy of Black woman astronauts that have come before me as well as to the exciting future ahead.’
She also said that ‘I’m definitely honoured to be a small part of that legacy, but ultimately be an equal member of the crew.’
While Watkins is already making big strides for women, and BAME woman in space, she could soon be making even bigger history. Indeed, she is one of the astronauts eligible for the Artemis missions. Artemis One, an unmanned test flight, is schedule to take off later this year.
Watkins could make history as the first woman on the moon, and the first woman of colour to set foot there. She is making history, and inspiring women all over the world.
Watkins is a geologist by training. She told NPR that being ‘a real field geologist on the surface of another planet would just be unreal.’
The Astronauts who came before her are Mae Jemison, Stephanie Wilson, Joan Higginbotham and private astronaut Sian Proctor. Dr Proctor was part of the all-civilian mission Inspiration 4.
Who else is on Crew-4? And who is on the ISS?
Jessica Watkins was not the only astronaut to lift off from KSC. Alongside her is Robert Hines and Kjell Lindgren, both NASA astronauts, and Samantha Cristoforetti, from the European Space Agency. The Crew 4 members lifted off at 0400 hours EDT. The capsule docked successfully on the ISS at 0900 GMT to the join the other astronauts already there.
Adding on the four members of Crew 4, that brings the total number of people living aboard the ISS to 11. These include Raja Chair, Thomas Marshburn, Matthias Maurer, Kayla Barron, Sergey Korskov, Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev.
Godspeed Crew 4.
Read next: It’s another five years of Macron for France