Nicole Aunapu Mann: First Native American Woman in Space
TABLE OF CONTENTS Early Years 10 Athlete and Scholar 14 Flying High 18 Combat Ready 21 From Test Pilot to Astronaut 24 Astronaut Training 26 On the International Space Station 32 The Moon and More Important Dates Index 36 40 42
NASA SPACEX Nicole Aunapu Mann in her SpaceX Crew-5 flight suit
7 The day dawned bright and clear at Kennedy Space Center in Florida It was October 5 2022. After several days of delay as a hurricane battered the coast it was finally flight day NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 was ready to launch to the International Space Station ISS At a nearby hotel a group of US Navy pilots had a clear view from the rooftop They cheered for their friend and fellow pilot Nicole Mann who would command the mission At the Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland the women's soccer team watched the feed from NASA
