Nicole aunapu mann biography of albert

American astronaut

Nicole Victoria "Duke"^[1]Aunapu Mann (born June 27, 1977) is an American test airwoman and NASA astronaut. She denunciation an F/A-18 Hornet pilot topmost a graduate of the Divide Naval Academy, Stanford University, essential the US Naval Test Aviatrix School.^[2][3] She has over 2,500 flight hours in 25 types of aircraft and 200 bearer landings, and has flown 47 combat missions in Iraq focus on Afghanistan.

Mann completed astronaut loyalty in 2015 and was determined in August 2018 to Boe-CFT, the first crewed test journey of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner,^[2][4][5] but subsequently reassigned to honourableness SpaceX Crew-5, becoming the good cheer female commander of a NASA Commercial Crew Program launch.

Her first spaceflight launched in Oct 2022 and made her loftiness first Native American woman extract space.^{[6][7][8][9][10][11]} She stayed in extent for months, and on Jan 20, 2023, she became nobleness first Native American woman progress to go on a spacewalk, which she went on with Koichi Wakata.^[12]

Early life, background, and education

Nicole Victoria Aunapu Mann was inborn on June 27, 1977, elect Howard and Victoria Aunapu extra grew up in Penngrove, California.^[3]

Her name Aunapu (a Germanised repel of "õunapuu", meaning "apple tree") is Estonian, as her old man Helmuth Aunapu was from Capital in Estonia, but his affinity originated from the Estonian cay of Hiiumaa.

He emigrated referee United States in the Twenties and later served as exclude engineer in the US Fitted out Forces.^[13] Nicole Aunapu visited Esthonia for the first time smile September 2023.^[14]

Of Wailaki heritage, she is an enrolled member bring to an end the Round Valley Indian Tribes.^{[15][2][9][16]}

Mann graduated in 1995 from Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park, California.^[17] She attended interpretation US Naval Academy and tag in 1999 with a Abstinent of Science degree in automatic engineering.

She played for greatness Navy Midshipmen women's soccer squad as a defender, scoring only goal and recording four assists in 75 appearances.^[18] After contingent in the US Marine Crew, she attended graduate school watch over Stanford University, where she old-fashioned a Master of Science rank in mechanical engineering, specializing engage fluid mechanics.^[2]

Military career

After graduate college, Mann attended The Basic Nursery school and began flight training take care Naval Air Station Pensacola.

She received her Naval Aviator arms in 2002 and completed breeding for the F/A-18 Hornet demonstrate VFA-106 at Naval Air Post Oceana. Mann joined VMFA-251 affection Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and deployed twice on justness USS Enterprise with CVW-1 in relieve of Operation Iraqi Freedom arm Operation Enduring Freedom.

As efficient naval aviator, Mann was allotted the call sign "Duke".^[19] She was a member of Mammoth 135 at the US Nautical Test Pilot School and served as an F/A-18 Test Precursory in VX-23 at Naval Acceptable Station Patuxent River. At rectitude time of her selection bit an astronaut candidate, she was Joint Mission Planning System Expeditionary Integrated Product Team Lead scorn PMA-281.^[2]

NASA career

In 2013, Mann was selected as one of ethics eight members of NASA Space pilot Group 21.

She completed prepare training in 2015 and has since served as a T-38 Talon Safety and Training Fuzz and was the Assistant consign to the Chief of Exploration. She worked on development of nobleness Orion spacecraft, Space Launch Arrangement, and the Exploration Ground Systems.^[2][17][20] In August 2018 she was assigned to Boe-CFT, the foremost crewed test flight of influence Boeing CST-100 Starliner.^[21] However, underside October 2021 Mann was impressed to fly on SpaceX's Crew-5 mission as the Spacecraft Commander,^[22] scheduled to fly to character International Space Station on Sept 29, 2022,^[7] later rescheduled correspond with October 5.^[8] The SpaceX Crew-5 landed in the Gulf hold Mexico on March 11, 2023, 157 days since they launched.^[23] She planned to take uncomplicated dreamcatcher her mother gave quip when she was very adolescent to space.^[7] The crew ephemeral on the International Space Post for six months.^{[8][15][9][10][16][11]}

Mann is further in training for the worldwide Artemis program and is span contender to be the chief woman on the Moon pass for part of the crewed lunar landing currently scheduled for 2026.^[7][24]

Personal life

Mann is married to Travis R.

Mann, with whom she has a son. In resolve interview with National Geographic crumble December 2020, she said she and her son often sit down outside looking at the Laze, and "Hopefully someday, he'll pull up able to watch Mom flick by and walk on rank moon."^[24]

Awards

As a student at nobleness Naval Academy, Mann played for and was an Academic Rivet American.

She was a Trident Scholar and a Distinguished Adjust. During her military career, she received two Air Medals, pair Navy and Marine Corps Gift Medals, and two Navy sit Marine Corps Achievement Medals. She was the Honor Graduate jammy her US Naval Test Precursory School class. She received rank NASA 2015 Stephen D. Thorne Defence Award and the 2017 Jerry Yeagley Award for Exceptional Secluded Achievement.

Mann is a contributor of the Society of Diffident Test Pilots, Tailhook Association, honesty US Naval Test Pilot College Alumni Association, and the Allied States Naval Academy Alumni Fold, and received the Leroy Grumman "Best Paper" Award at decency East Coast Society of Exploratory Test Pilots Symposium.^[2]

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from Melanie Whiting.

Nicole A. Mann. Public Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved October 25, 2018. (Official NASA biography).

External links