{"id":36529,"date":"2024-04-09T00:22:47","date_gmt":"2024-04-09T04:22:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=36529"},"modified":"2024-04-17T00:34:57","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T04:34:57","slug":"cronkite-news-first-native-woman-in-space-shares-unique-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/04\/09\/cronkite-news-first-native-woman-in-space-shares-unique-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: First Native woman in space shares unique journey"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CPTAOJ04jbE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Cronkite News Video by Maria Garcia: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/CPTAOJ04jbE>First Indigenous Woman Astronaut<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">The first Indigenous woman in space never planned on becoming an astronaut <\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Tuesday, April 9, 2024<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By David Ulloa Jr.<\/div>\r\n<DIV class=source>Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n<DIV class=source-website><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAVONDALE, Arizona &#8212; Estrella Mountain Community College celebrated Women&#8217;s History Month by hosting an event on March 27. Marine Col. Nicole Mann, a member of the Wailacki tribe of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, was invited to speak at the event. She shared her unorthodox journey to becoming an astronaut.<P><\/P>\r\nMann is the first female Indigenous astronaut and only the second Indigenous person to go to space.<P><\/P>\r\nEarly on as a child, Mann said she knew she wanted to serve in the military but wasn&#8217;t sure which path to take.<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cThe idea of being an astronaut hadn\u2019t even entered my mind at this point. I mean I had never met an astronaut before. I didn\u2019t know exactly what they did. It seemed like something that other people did from somewhere else, right? But, it\u2019s not something for me,\u201d Mann said at the community college event.<P><\/P>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/04\/17\/cronkite-news-first-native-woman-in-space-shares-unique-journey\/nicolemann2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-36534\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1366\" data-attachment-id=\"36534\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/04\/09\/cronkite-news-first-native-woman-in-space-shares-unique-journey\/nicolemann2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/17\/NicoleMann2.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1366\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;NASA\\u2019s first Indigenous woman in space, Marine Col. Nicole A. Mann, speaks to students and faculty at Estrella Mountain Community College about her transition from the a Marine Corps aviator to a NASA astronaut at the college&#039;s performing arts center in Avondale on March 26, 2024. (Photo by Kayla Mae Jackson\/Cronkite News)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1712580585&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Nicole Mann\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Nicole Mann&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;NASA\u2019s first Indigenous woman in space, Marine Col. Nicole A. Mann, speaks to students and faculty at Estrella Mountain Community College about her transition from the a Marine Corps aviator to a NASA astronaut at the college&amp;#8217;s performing arts center in Avondale on March 26, 2024. (Photo by Kayla Mae Jackson\/Cronkite News)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/17\/NicoleMann2-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/17\/NicoleMann2.jpg\" alt=\"Nicole Mann\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36534\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">NASA\u2019s first Indigenous woman in space, Marine Col. Nicole A. Mann, speaks to students and faculty at Estrella Mountain Community College about her transition from the a Marine Corps aviator to a NASA astronaut at the college&#8217;s performing arts center in Avondale on March 26, 2024. Photo by Kayla Mae Jackson \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAt the U.S. Naval Academy, she knew early on that she wanted to be a Marine. According to her NASA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/people\/nicole-a-mann\/\">profile<\/a>, Mann earned her bachelor&#8217;s degree in mechanical engineering from the Naval Academy in 1999 and was commissioned as a Marine second lieutenant that same year.<P><\/P>\r\nIn 2001, Mann earned a master&#8217;s in mechanical engineering with a specialization in fluid mechanics from Stanford University. Three years later, she began her flying career with the Thunderbolts of VMFA-251, a Marine fighter jet squadron. During this time, she flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cAgain, I came to a crossroads though. What am I going to do next?\u201d Mann said.<P><\/P>\r\nShe was looking at her next set of orders and she was doing an online search for words like \u201cfighter pilots\u201d and \u201cengineering\u201d when she came across results such as \u201ctest pilot school\u201d and \u201castronauts.\u201d She then noticed bios of some current astronauts who were Marines, fighter pilots and had engineering degrees.<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cAnd that is the first time it really dawned on me, \u2018Wow! I wonder if this is something that I can do?\u2019\u201d Mann said.<P><\/P>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/04\/17\/cronkite-news-first-native-woman-in-space-shares-unique-journey\/nicolemann1\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-36535\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1366\" data-attachment-id=\"36535\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/04\/09\/cronkite-news-first-native-woman-in-space-shares-unique-journey\/nicolemann1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/17\/NicoleMann1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1366\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Marine Col. Nicole A. Mann, NASA\\u2019s first Indigenous woman in space, speaks to students at Estrella Mountain Community College about her journey to becoming an astronaut at the college\\u2019s performing arts center in Avondale on March 26, 2024. Her speech was a part of EMCC\\u2019s Women\\u2019s History Month and continued focus on STEM. (Photo by Kayla Mae Jackson\/Cronkite News)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1712580580&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Nicole Mann\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Nicole Mann&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Marine Col. Nicole A. Mann, NASA\u2019s first Indigenous woman in space, speaks to students at Estrella Mountain Community College about her journey to becoming an astronaut at the college\u2019s performing arts center in Avondale on March 26, 2024. Her speech was a part of EMCC\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month and continued focus on STEM. (Photo by Kayla Mae Jackson\/Cronkite News)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/17\/NicoleMann1-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/17\/NicoleMann1.jpg\" alt=\"Nicole Mann\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36535\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Marine Col. Nicole A. Mann, NASA\u2019s first Indigenous woman in space, speaks to students at Estrella Mountain Community College about her journey to becoming an astronaut at the college\u2019s performing arts center in Avondale on March 26, 2024. Her speech was a part of EMCC\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month and continued focus on STEM. Photo by Kayla Mae Jackson \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">Self doubt<\/div>\r\nAfter researching the career in 2009, Mann said she began her three years as a test pilot on the F\/A-18 where she would push the jet and its weapons at or past their designed limits.<P><\/P>\r\nDuring this time, Mann said she got married and pregnant with her son. It was while she was pregnant that Mann saw that NASA was accepting applicants for the next astronaut class.<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cI have to be honest with you, at that time I thought, \u2018Well, I mean that would have been great years ago maybe, right? It was fun being a fighter pilot. It was fun being a test pilot. But now, I\u2019m going to be a mom. It\u2019s time for me to move on, things need to change,&#8217;\u201d Mann said.<P><\/P>\r\nMann said she remembers coming home and telling her husband about NASA selecting applicants but she wasn\u2019t going to apply. She said her husband looked at her like she was crazy and he asked her why she shouldn\u2019t apply and she responded \u201cbecause we\u2019re pregnant.\u201d<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cHe goes, \u2018Oh my God, you can never give up on this dream. If you don\u2019t apply, then you\u2019re never going to make it. You\u2019re going to discount yourself. And you\u2019re never going to know,&#8217;\u201d Mann said.<P><\/P>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/04\/17\/cronkite-news-first-native-woman-in-space-shares-unique-journey\/nicolemann3\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-36533\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1366\" data-attachment-id=\"36533\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/04\/09\/cronkite-news-first-native-woman-in-space-shares-unique-journey\/nicolemann3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/17\/NicoleMann3.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1366\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;NASA\\u2019s first Indigenous woman in space, Marine Col. Nicole A. Mann, speaks to students and faculty at Estrella Mountain Community College about the barriers she broke down as an Indigenous woman at NASA at EMCC\\u2019s performing arts center in Avondale on March 26, 2024. Mann encouraged students to not let acceptance rates and doubt stop them from reaching their full potential. (Photo by Kayla Mae Jackson\/Cronkite News)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1712580588&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Nicole Mann\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Nicole Mann&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;NASA\u2019s first Indigenous woman in space, Marine Col. Nicole A. Mann, speaks to students and faculty at Estrella Mountain Community College about the barriers she broke down as an Indigenous woman at NASA at EMCC\u2019s performing arts center in Avondale on March 26, 2024. Mann encouraged students to not let acceptance rates and doubt stop them from reaching their full potential. (Photo by Kayla Mae Jackson\/Cronkite News)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/17\/NicoleMann3-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/17\/NicoleMann3.jpg\" alt=\"Nicole Mann\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36533\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">NASA\u2019s first Indigenous woman in space, Marine Col. Nicole A. Mann, speaks to students and faculty at Estrella Mountain Community College about the barriers she broke down as an Indigenous woman at NASA at EMCC\u2019s performing arts center in Avondale on March 26, 2024. Mann encouraged students to not let acceptance rates and doubt stop them from reaching their full potential. Photo by Kayla Mae Jackson \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nMann said she was doubting herself.<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cI was thinking how can I be a mom and a professional, be a fighter pilot, or be an astronaut. How can I do both of these things together, at the same time?\u201d Mann said.<P><\/P>\r\nMann said she is grateful because she had her husband there to support her and tell her, \u201c\u2018We\u2019re going to figure it out. We\u2019ll work it out.\u2019\u201d<P><\/P>\r\nIn 2013, Mann was selected along with eight other members for the 21st NASA astronaut class, completing her training in 2015.<P><\/P>\r\nMann launched to the International Space Station on October 5, 2022, as commander of NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-5 mission where she spent 157 days in orbit, conducting two spacewalks and supporting two spacewalks as a robotic arm operator.<P><\/P>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/04\/17\/cronkite-news-first-native-woman-in-space-shares-unique-journey\/nicolemann4\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-36532\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1366\" data-attachment-id=\"36532\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/04\/09\/cronkite-news-first-native-woman-in-space-shares-unique-journey\/nicolemann4\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/17\/NicoleMann4.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1366\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Marine Col. Nicole A. Mann, NASA\\u2019s first Indigenous woman in space, speaks to students at Estrella Mountain Community College about her journey to becoming an astronaut at the college\\u2019s performing arts center in Avondale on March 26, 2024. Her speech was a part of EMCC\\u2019s Women\\u2019s History Month and continued focus on STEM. (Photo by Kayla Mae Jackson\/Cronkite News)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1712580592&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Nicole Mann\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Nicole Mann&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Marine Col. Nicole A. Mann, NASA\u2019s first Indigenous woman in space, speaks to students at Estrella Mountain Community College about her journey to becoming an astronaut at the college\u2019s performing arts center in Avondale on March 26, 2024. Her speech was a part of EMCC\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month and continued focus on STEM. (Photo by Kayla Mae Jackson\/Cronkite News)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/17\/NicoleMann4-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/17\/NicoleMann4.jpg\" alt=\"Nicole Mann\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36532\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Marine Col. Nicole A. Mann, NASA\u2019s first Indigenous woman in space, speaks to students at Estrella Mountain Community College about her journey to becoming an astronaut at the college\u2019s performing arts center in Avondale on March 26, 2024. Her speech was a part of EMCC\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month and continued focus on STEM. Photo by Kayla Mae Jackson \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">A mom and a professional<\/div>\r\n\u201cMy husband was right. You can be a mom and a professional and have a family at the same time,\u201d Mann said.<P><\/P>\r\nHer testimonial of being a mother and a professional resonated with Raquel Nezzie who is a single mother,  an Estrella Mountain Community College student and the vice president of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society chapter at the college.<P><\/P>\r\nNezzie called it &#8220;very inspirational and motivational.\u201d<P><\/P><div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><P><\/P>\r\nSharon Stefan, a math faculty member at EMCC and director of the school&#8217;s STEM Center of Excellence, said it was really important for students to hear Mann say she was not sure how her life path was going to turn out. Stefan said students who come to the community college do \u201cnot necessarily having their full life planned out, but they do have ambitions and desires and dreams just like her.\u201d<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cAnd to hear her share her story of this wasn\u2019t in the plans. Like, \u2018I didn\u2019t think being an astronaut was an option for me.\u2019 And the fact that she shared that when she found out she was pregnant and like she was going to be a mother, I think that spoke a lot to our nontraditional students that have duties like family,\u201d Stefan said.<P><\/P>\r\n<STRONG>For more stories from Cronkite News, visit <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=client\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>.<\/STRONG>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<HR><EM>Note: This story originally <a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2024\/04\/08\/first-indigenous-woman-astronaut-nicole-mann\/\">appeared on Cronkite News<\/a>.  It  is published via a <A href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative  Commons license<\/A>. Cronkite News is produced by the <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkite.asu.edu\/\">Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication<\/A> at <A href=\"https:\/\/www.asu.edu\">Arizona State University<\/A>.<\/EM><HR>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThe idea of being an astronaut hadn\u2019t even entered my mind at this point,\u201d Marine Col. Nicole Mann told college students.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36533,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,1,22],"tags":[2754,42,46,25,3350,3827,4777,44],"class_list":["post-36529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-national","category-technology","tag-aises","tag-arizona","tag-cronkite-news","tag-military","tag-nasa","tag-nicole-mann","tag-rvit","tag-women","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/17\/NicoleMann3.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-9vb","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36529"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36543,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36529\/revisions\/36543"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}