Christina Hammock Koch: Anecdote-breaking NASA astronaut

On Jan. 9, 2020, NASA astronaut Christina Koch renowned her 300th day in house aboard the International Home Build (ISS). By the level she landed support on Earth on Feb. 6, she had broken the yarn for the longest time spent in house by a girl.

That’s no longer the ideal ancient fulfillment for the astronaut. Accurate a pair of months prior, Koch and one more girl astronaut, Jessica Meir, performed the major all-girl spacewalk. 

The spacewalk made “obvious that NASA used to be for certain dedicated to, fancy I snatch to claim, answering humanity’s name to explore by every person,” Koch told Home.com a year after the momentous tournament. “And so it used to be lawful a phenomenal ingredient to have confidence the glory to purchase part in. And I respect that we’re lawful so appreciative soundless to receive the strengthen that we soundless receive day-after-day about it,” she acknowledged.

Associated: Ladies folk in house — A Gallery of firsts

Early existence and profession

Koch used to be born in Tall Rapids, Michigan and grew up in Jacksonville, North Carolina. From a young age, she desired to be an astronaut, and joined her center faculty’s “Rocket Club.” Journeys to the Kennedy Home Center in Florida handiest solidified that dream, she told Jon Evans on his podcast.

Koch attended North Carolina Whisper University in Raleigh and performed a bachelor’s in electrical engineering as well to a bachelor’s in physics. She then performed a Master’s in electrical engineering.

After finishing her levels, Koch joined NASA as an electrical engineer at the Goddard Home Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland. While at GSFC, Koch labored in the Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics on devices for several house science missions. After her time at GSFC, Koch labored in Antarctica at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Build and Palmer Build. From there, she returned to her electrical engineering roots and labored at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, contributing to devices on the Juno spacecraft and Van Allen probes. 

Existence as an astronaut

In 2013, Koch used to be chosen as a member of NASA’s 21st astronaut class. After six years of intense coaching, she launched on her first house mission to the ISS on March 14, 2019 from Baikonur Cosmodrome on a Soyuz spacecraft. She used to be joined by astronaut Gash Hague and Russian Cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin. 

Associated: How one can develop into an astronaut

In her tenure on the ISS, Koch served as a flight engineer on expeditions 59, 60 and 61. While aboard the ISS, Koch labored on several scientific reports that covered human biology, Earth science, technology pattern and extra. She additionally performed three all-girl spacewalks out of her six total spacewalks, spending a total of 42 hours and 15 minutes in the vacuum of house.

First all-girl spacewalk

Oct. 18, 2019, wasn’t first and major supposed to be a ancient day. The first girl spacewalk used to be supposed to occur on March 29th, nevertheless a misfortune with house swimsuit sizes delayed that concept. 

NASA’s house fits are a wonder of engineering — they’re if truth be told limited, human-formed spaceships. The ideal phase of the spacesuit is a arduous plastic torso part that holds the electronics that abet watch over the complete swimsuit’s systems. An sick-fitted spacesuit can lead to serious security elements, and reconfiguring the swimsuit can soak as a lot as 12 hours. Koch and her colleague Anne McClain had been scheduled to purchase part in a spacewalk together, nevertheless there used to be handiest one spacesuit made to fit McClain or Koch, so McClain swapped locations along with her colleague Gash Hauge so that Koch might possibly well wear the one spacesuit that fit every girls folk.

Associated: Astronauts obtained’t extinguish the first all feminine spacewalk afterall

By October, the crew had reconfigured one more swimsuit to fit Jessica Mier, who then joined Koch on the first all-girl spacewalk. For added than seven hours, the pair labored on changing a battery payment/discharge unit that didn’t set off after new lithium ion batteries had been installed. 

Koch returned to Earth on Feb. 6, 2020, after having spent 328 days in house, environment the yarn for the longest house mission by a girl. She returned lawful because the Covid-19 pandemic used to be beginning and Americans had been preparing for the chance of a extensive-unfold quarantine. 

But coming support to a world on the cusp of a virus didn’t for certain feel as environment apart it could possibly have confidence for Koch, she told Boston’s WBUR radio. “, being below have confidence-at-dwelling orders for certain for me has for certain equipped a lot extra than the isolation that I skilled for 11 months on board the International Home Build … it’s allowed me to for certain get happy with my dwelling existence, to reintegrate in my dwelling and in my neighborhood,” she acknowledged.

Associated: NASA astronaut Christina Koch displays on 1-year anniversary of first all-girl spacewalk

Koch’s legacy

Home spin has traditionally been designed for males. The physical embodiment of that truth is NASA’s house fits, which had been designed with a man’s physique in solutions, no longer a girl’s. Koch’s participation in the major all-girl spacewalk used to be a ground-breaking accomplishment for feminine astronauts and all non-male of us all the diagram thru the sector, alike.

“Males’s physiology, views, values, measurements, comfort and ambitions have confidence largely been the default template for designing valuable human endeavors. I judge that Koch and Meir, by their sheer ability and execution, shift us closer to a template in step with intelligence, agility, functionality, integrity, braveness and excellence,” Mae Jemison, a fellow feminine astronaut, wrote about the pair in Time magazine’s “The 100 most Influential Folks of the Year” feature.

In December 2020, Koch used to be chosen as regarded as one of many astronauts who will spin to the Moon on NASA’s Artemis missions. Meaning she’s going to be regarded as one of many major — if no longer the first — girl to step foot on the moon. 

“To me, what [Artemis] for certain represents is that NASA is dedicated to answering humanity’s name to explore by all and for all. We’re an example of the manner you are most a success whereas you purchase contributions from every single phase of the sector, and the planet and humanity,” Koch told Raleigh, North Carolina’s CBS17 about the resolution.

Further property

• Meet Artemtis crew member Christina Koch in this video from NASA.    
• Put together Christina Koch on Twitter. 
• Take a look at out NASA’s biography for Christina Koch.