Tomorrow, people around the world will get the chance to see the first-ever Indigenous woman in space in a live-streamed in-flight interview withNicole Aunapu Mann (Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes).

NASA selected Mann to become an astronaut in 2013. She is a California native with 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. Additionally, she deployed twice aboard aircraft carriers to support combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I didnt figure that out until a little bit later on in life as a young girl growing up in Northern California, Mann said. I was certainly interested in math and science, but I didnt really realize that being an astronaut was in the realm of possibility. So it wasnt until I was flying jets in the Marine Corps, looking at my future career options, that I started looking at potentially becoming a test pilot and, from there, an astronaut. It took me a little time to get it all figured out.

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NASA to Host In-Flight Interview with First Indigenous Woman in Space, Nicole Aunapu Mann - Native News Online