Colorado astronaut to become first Black woman to live and work on International Space Station

By: Micah Smith via https://www.thedenverchannel.com/

Jessica Watkins is from Boulder County, attended Fairview High School

 Astronaut Jessica Watkins, who grew up in Boulder County and attended Fairview High School, will become the first Black woman to spend an extended period of time living and working on the space station.

Watkins will take part in NASA’s SpaceX Crew 4 mission, which begins on April 20.

“It’s a tremendous honor for me, it’s an important milestone for the agency and for the country,” Watkins said. “I’m just honored to be a small part of the legacy of Black women astronauts who came before me and those that will come behind me as well.”

Watkins is a geologist and will serve as a mission specialist, working with scientists on the ground to conduct research. This will be her first mission.

“As a rookie… there are many different aspects of it that I look forward to. But I think that the most exciting for me, especially as a geologist, is,,,

Read More: Colorado astronaut to become first Black woman to live and work on International Space Station