Natives to Know: Nicole Aunapu Mann

Earlier this month, USA Today announced its list of Women of the Year. This year, the group of ten individuals included two indigenous women. One was the first Native American woman to grace the cover of Vogue — noted fashion model and activist Quannah Rose Chasinghorse-Potts. The other was the first Native American woman to go to outer space — pilot and US Naval Academy graduate, Nicole Aunapu Mann. Mann joined NASA in 2013, and achieved her childhood dream of going to space less than 10 years later.

Mann, who hails from the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian tribes, took off with her crew on a spacecraft called The Dragon on October 5th. She was allowed to bring just over 3 pounds worth of personal effects with her on the craft. A dreamcatcher her grandmother had given were was among the few worldly possessions Mann chose to bring with her. “It's kind of always stayed with me throughout my time,” she told Indian Country Today.

Mann returned to earth on March 11th, 2023, after 157 days working aboard the International Space Station. The goal of her crew's mission was to conduct tests of all kinds (biological, cardiovascular, fluid behavior, etc.) in order to prepare human beings for space travel beyond the low orbits we are currently limited to today. Learn more about the amazing women of NASA here.