Colorado woman Nichole Ayers is set to become the 11th American astronaut to travel to space as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission. The four-person crew will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 12, bound for the International Space Station.
Ayers, a 2011 Air Force Academy graduate and veteran F-22 pilot, was selected as an astronaut candidate in 2021. She is joining fellow NASA astronaut Anne McClain, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov on the mission.
The four-month mission aims to study the effects of long-term spaceflight on the human body. Ayers is eager to contribute to NASA’s mission and help pave the way for future lunar and Mars missions.
Ayers has a unique background as one of only a few women to fly an F-22 Raptor in combat, a distinction she earned in 2019 leading an all-woman formation of the aircraft. The city of Woodland Park is celebrating her historic achievement with a social media post ahead of the launch.
Source: https://www.denver7.com/news/womens-history-month/colorado-astronaut-nichole-ayers-is-headed-to-space-with-nasas-spacex-crew-10