Christina Koch is a NASA astronaut and electrical engineer. She earned Bachelor of Science degrees in electrical engineering and physics from North Carolina State University in 2001 and a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering in 2002. In 2001 Koch also completed the NASA Academy program at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Prior to being selected as an astronaut in 2013, she worked as an electrical engineer on scientific instruments for space missions and remote research environments. Koch flew her first mission aboard the International Space Station in 2019–2020 as part of Expeditions 59, 60, and 61. During that mission, she set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, spending 328 days in orbit. She also participated in the first all-woman spacewalk, marking a historic milestone in human spaceflight. As a member of NASA’s Artemis program, Koch is the first woman to leave low Earth orbit and to travel near the Moon.
