Nicole Anunapu Mann is the first Native American woman to go to space. Mann attended the US Naval Academy, graduating in 1999, then entered graduate school at Stanford University, where she received a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering. Entering the Marine Corp as a second lieutenant, she rose to the rank of colonel. As a fighter pilot, Mann completed 47 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2011, she applied to become an astronaut and was one of eight selected by NASA, out of 6,000 applicants. Mann was the commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission, which traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) in October 2022. She was on the ISS for 157 days, and became the first Native American woman to go on a spacewalk. Mann is a member of the Wailacki tribe of the Round Valley Indian Tribes of northern California.
Learn more at NASA.