Make sure your kids, nephews, nieces and grandchildren are familiar with the name Jeanette Epps. The renowned astronaut will be first African-American on the International Space State.
Reports Mashable:
Epps’ months-long trip should begin in 2018, and it will mark the first time she has traveled to orbit, following in the footsteps of the women who inspired her to become an astronaut.
It was about 1980, I was nine years old. My brother came home and he looked at my grades and my twin sisters’ grades and he said, ‘You know, you guys can probably become aerospace engineers or even astronauts,'” Epps said in a NASA video interview.
“And this was at the time that Sally Ride [the first American woman to fly in space] and a group of women were selected to become astronauts — the first time in history. So, he made that comment and I said, ‘Wow, that would be so cool.'”
How inspiring is that?
Other African-American astronauts have visited the station, but she will be the first to take an extended stay, living and working on the station.
Another interesting fact, Epps once worked for the CIA.
Read more about her at Mashable.
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Photo: NASA
