Several records will be set and broken when NASA launches the Artemis II mission on April 1. It will be the first time since 1972 when humans will fly to the Moon in order to walk on it eventually – perhaps 2028. Among these fliers is Christina Koch, an astronaut with immense spaceflight experience and someone who will achieve a new level of cool next month.
Koch, who has contributed to numerous projects as an engineer both on Earth and space, has several records to her name including one for the longest spaceflight by a female astronaut. Soon enough, she will set the record of being the first woman to fly to the Moon.
Based on the information that’s out in public, Koch seems to be the perfect candidate NASA could’ve chosen for this mission. Not only does she have the required experience but her background proves that she’s not someone who plays it safe and is always up for daunting, unglamorous, and far-from-home assignments.
Christina Koch: The perfect pick for NASA?
Koch has been selected as a mission specialist for Artemis II – the first crew test flight of the Artemis program. Her NASA journey began when she joined the Academy program in 2001. She initially worked as an Electrical Engineer at the Goddard Space Flight Center before being selected as an astronaut in 2013.
Koch has a Bachelor of Science degrees in electrical engineering and physics and a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering which enabled her to contribute to different aspects of science and engineering in different capacities.
She experienced spaceflight for the first time in March 2019 when she flew on a Russian spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). Koch spent 328 days in space on her first mission serving as a flight engineer for Expeditions 59, 60 and 61. While in space, she participated in the first three all-women spacewalk totaling 42 hours and 15 minutes. Prior to being assigned to Artemis II, Koch was working as Branch Chief of the Assigned Crew Branch in NASA’s Astronaut Office.
Apart from being an astronaut, she has worked as a research associate in the United States Antarctic Program for a year, as an electrical engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory’s Space Department working on instruments of the Juno and Van Allen probes, as a Field Engineer in Alaska and as Station Chief of the American Samoa Observatory.
We got a glimpse of her character and resolve the first time NASA introduced us to her during the Artemis II crew reveal in April 2023. Reflecting on the ever-relevant “are you excited” question, Koch had said – “We are going to launch from Kennedy Space Center. We’re gonna hear the words ‘go for launch’ on top of the most powerful rocket NASA has ever made. We’re not going to the Moon straight away. We’re going to stay in an amazing high orbit reaching a peak of tens of thousands of miles while we test out all the systems of Orion. And then when everything looks good, we’re headed to the Moon,” Koch said in her introductory speech.
“It will be a four-day journey, going a quarter of a million miles…going around the far side of the Moon, heading home, going through the Earth’s atmosphere, going 25,000 miles per hour and splashing down in the Pacific. So, am I excited? Absolutely,” she added.
Koch is currently in the final stages of training for the Moon mission which also includes the first African-American – Victor Glover (mission pilot). These two will be accompanied by Reid Wiseman (mission commander) and Jeremy Hansen. A Canadian national, Hansen is also a mission specialist and the only non-American in the crew.
When Koch returns ten days after Artemis II launch, she will return as a pioneer – etching her name in history as someone who flew farther from home than any woman ever.
ALSO READ: Cakes, Smoothies, Tortillas: NASA’s Delightful Space Menu Designed For Artemis II Astronauts
ALSO READ: Four Moon Missions By 2028? How NASA Envisions Artemis Program After Sweeping Changes
