At the age of 34, Jessica Watkins has years at NASA and may be one of the first women to set foot on the moon in the coming years, as she is a member of the “Artemis” team preparing for upcoming lunar missions.
When asked about her favorite destination between the Moon and Mars in an exclusive interview from the International Space Station, she says with a laugh, “I go on the first come trip!”, stressing that she will be “very happy,” whether her destination is “the Moon or Mars.”
And Jessica has already made a historic feat: In her first spaceflight, she became the first African-American woman to complete a long-term mission on the International Space Station, where she has spent more than three months and plans to stay for another three.
On the Apollo flights to the moon, only men were sent. Therefore, NASA is gradually seeking to improve its image in this regard by planning to send women to the moon for the first time, as well as people from different components of American society.
Watkins says that this step “would be important for the agency, the United States and the world at large,” considering that “representing a class of people is important.”
“I am so grateful for what my ancestors have achieved, the women and scholars who paved the way for me to be here today. This is very important to me.”
Born in Maryland near Washington, D.C., Jessica Watkins grew up in Colorado before completing her studies in geology in California. As part of a scholarship she received to complete her postdoctoral studies, she collaborated with NASA in her research on the Curiosity rover that landed on Mars ten years ago.
Thus, the Red Planet became dear to her. The American scientist also published a scientific study focused on Mars while she was on the International Space Station.
Jessica describes herself as “primarily a geologist, then a scientist, and then an astronaut.”
The young woman remembers well when her passion began to grow in the geology of the Earth, the science that studies the composition of planets and the way they are formed.
After receiving a lesson in geology in the course of the evolution of planets, which is a process during which rocks that increase in size gather to form a planet, the space scientist says that she realized then that this topic is what she wants to study and work in its field throughout her life.
Therefore, she considers it “amazing” that a person is “part of an effort to conduct field research on the surface of another planet.”
The Artemis program, which succeeds Apollo, aims to gradually establish a permanent human presence on the moon, before adopting it as a rear base for any trip to Mars. The first unmanned flight to the moon is scheduled for the end of this month.
Jessica Watkins was chosen among the 18 astronauts named to take on the “Artemis” missions, either through flights or through work they are doing from Earth.
And if NASA prefers choosing an astronaut with extensive experience to participate in the first manned mission, Jessica’s scientific background will work in her favor in the future.
Having a nice personality and team spirit are also important factors in the selection process for astronauts because they live for long periods of time with each other in limited spaces. Watkins notes that those close to her tell her that dealing with her is “easy”, in addition to the fact that she realized the value of teamwork while playing rugby.
What are the qualities that define the profession of astronauts for her?
“Everyone has a certain sense of discovery and a desire to go further in what humans can achieve,” says Jessica. “I think these things unite us.”
Since her childhood, Jessica has dreamed of going to space and this desire has always been in her mind without even thinking that it will “really come true” one day.
“Don’t be afraid of big dreams, you never know when your dreams will come true,” she says.
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