A space flight launching May 2018 will carry NASA Astronaut Jeannette Epps who will become the first African-American crew member aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Jeannette Epps, a New York native who spent seven years as a CIA technical intelligence officer before being selected as a member of the 2009 astronaut class, will serve as the Flight Engineer for expedition 56 and 57.
This announcement coincidently comes at a fitting time with the recent release of Hidden Figures. NASA has had just 14 black astronauts who have traveled to space in its history, three of whom are women. Epps will be the first to stay aboard the ISS.
Congrats to Jeannette Epps and her representation of black female achievement in STEM.