Jakarta –
NASA may be no stranger to making history. But some breakthroughs take longer than others. The latest achievement recorded the launch of the Crew-4 mission, which included bringing the first black woman to become a crew member of the International Space Station (ISS).
Jessica Watkins, one of four astronauts who left Earth for the ISS on Wednesday (27/4) morning local time, will serve a long-term mission on the ISS.
“I think this is truly a tribute to the legacy of black female astronauts before me, and a bright future for other black women ahead,” Watkins said. IFL Science, Saturday (30/4/2022).
“For me, growing up, it was very important to have role models in the roles I aspire to be, contribute in the way I aspire to contribute. So to the extent that I can do that, I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to return the favor, ” he said.
Despite the US being the world leader in the number of people flying into space, these days going to space is more like a vacation than a call of duty.
“Nearly nine out of every ten people who have ever been to space are white men. These statistics reflect the opportunities or roadblocks presented to different racial groups of people with similar dreams about space,” writes the US space advocacy nonprofit Space Frontier. Foundations.
“The fact that it took so long to get African Americans to ISS it’s disappointing. But it’s nice to see this focus finally happening,” said Kim Macharia, a black woman who is chair of the board at the Space Frontier Foundation.
“Less than 12% of all astronauts have ever been filled by women. And when you look at the number of people of color, the numbers are even lower there. So there’s a lot of work to be done to address this demographic,” he said.
Watkins assigned as mission specialist for Crew-4 NASA. He will work closely with commanders and pilots to monitor the spacecraft during the launch and re-entry phases of the flight to Earth, and will act as a flight engineer once aboard the ISS.
The mission, which took off using the newest SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, called Freedom, was Watkins’ first trip into space.
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