Nicole Aunapu Mann facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nicole Aunapu Mann
|
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mann in 2022
|
|||||||||||
| Born |
Nicole Victoria Aunapu
June 27, 1977 Petaluma, California, U.S.
|
||||||||||
| Other names | Duke | ||||||||||
| Space career | |||||||||||
| NASA astronaut | |||||||||||
| Rank | Colonel, USMC | ||||||||||
|
Time in space
|
157d 10h 1m | ||||||||||
| Selection | NASA Group 21 (2013) | ||||||||||
|
Total EVAs
|
2 | ||||||||||
|
Total EVA time
|
14h 2m | ||||||||||
| Missions | SpaceX Crew-5 (Expedition 68) | ||||||||||
|
Mission insignia
|
  |
||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Nicole Aunapu Mann (born June 27, 1977) is an American astronaut and test pilot. She is famous for being the first Native American woman in space. She also became the first female commander of a NASA Commercial Crew Program launch.
Mann flew an F/A-18 Hornet jet. She graduated from the US Naval Academy and Stanford University. She also went to the US Naval Test Pilot School. She has flown over 2,500 hours in 25 different types of aircraft. She has landed on aircraft carriers 200 times. She also flew 47 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In October 2022, Mann went on her first spaceflight. She stayed in space for many months. On January 20, 2023, she became the first Native American woman to do a spacewalk. She did this spacewalk with astronaut Koichi Wakata.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Nicole Victoria Aunapu Mann was born on June 27, 1977. Her parents are Howard and Victoria Aunapu. She grew up in Penngrove, California.
Her last name, Aunapu, comes from Estonia. It means "apple tree." Her grandfather, Helmuth Aunapu, was from Tallinn in Estonia. His family came from the Estonian island of Hiiumaa. He moved to the United States in the 1920s. He worked as an engineer in the US Armed Forces. Nicole Aunapu visited Estonia for the first time in September 2023.
Mann is a member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes. She is of Wailaki heritage.
She finished high school in 1995 at Rancho Cotate High School. This school is in Rohnert Park, California. She then went to the US Naval Academy. In 1999, she earned a degree in mechanical engineering. She played soccer for the Navy Midshipmen team. She was a defender. She played in 75 games and scored one goal. After the Naval Academy, she went to Stanford University. There, she earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering. She focused on how fluids move, which is called fluid mechanics.
Military Career
After graduate school, Mann started flight training. She trained at Naval Air Station Pensacola. In 2002, she became a Naval Aviator. She completed training to fly the F/A-18 Hornet jet. She joined a squadron called VMFA-251. She went on two deployments with the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier. These missions supported Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. As a pilot, her special nickname was "Duke."
She also attended the US Naval Test Pilot School. She became an F/A-18 Test Pilot. She worked at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
NASA Career
In 2013, NASA chose Mann to be an astronaut. She was one of eight people in NASA Astronaut Group 21. She finished her astronaut training in 2015. After training, she worked on safety and training for the Northrop T-38 Talon jet. She also helped develop the Orion spacecraft, the Space Launch System, and ground systems for space missions.
In 2018, she was assigned to a mission called Boe-CFT. This was the first test flight of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. However, in 2021, she was moved to the SpaceX Crew-5 mission. She became the commander of this mission. The SpaceX Crew-5 mission launched to the International Space Station on October 5, 2022. The crew lived on the space station for six months. They landed back on Earth in the Gulf of Mexico on March 11, 2023. Her mission lasted 157 days. She brought a dreamcatcher her mother gave her to space.
Mann is also training for the international Artemis program. She might be the first woman on the Moon. This crewed lunar landing is planned for 2026.
Personal Life
Nicole Mann is married to Travis R. Mann. They have a son together. In an interview, she shared a special memory. She said she and her son often sit outside. They look at the Moon together. She hopes her son will someday see her fly by and walk on the Moon.
Awards and Honors
While at the Naval Academy, Mann was an excellent student and soccer player. She was named an Academic All American. She also received special honors for her studies. During her time in the military, she earned several awards. These include two Air Medals and two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals. She also received two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals. She was the top graduate in her US Naval Test Pilot School class.
NASA gave her the Stephen D. Thorne Safety Award in 2015. In 2017, she received the Jerry Yeagley Award. Mann is a member of several important groups. These include the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. She also received an award for the "Best Paper" at a pilot symposium.
Images for kids
-
Nicole Mann in 2022
See also
In Spanish: Nicole Aunapu Mann para niños
