Intellos

Astronaut Jeanette Epps to become first African-American space station crew member

Astronaut Jeanette Epps is gearing up to make history.

NASA announced Wednesday that Epps would be assigned to missions aboard the International Space Station in 2018

That makes her the space station’s soon-to-be first African-American crew member. The journey will be Epps’ first flight into space.

Epps will be the first African-American astronaut to live and work on the ISS — not a shuttle — for an extended period of time.

According to her NASA profile, Epps earned a Bachelor’s degree in physics from LeMoyne College in 1992. 

She completed a Master’s of science in 1994 and doctorate in aerospace engineering 2000, both from the University of Maryland. 

In 2002, Epps joined the CIA and worked as a technical intelligence officer for seven years. Read more

TALIA CHETRIT | MILLA JOVOVICH | POP MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2016