Astronaut Jessica Watkins assigned to Crew-4 mission
NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins will be going to space for the first time as part of the SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station in April 2022. Credit: NASA
NASA has announced the final crewmember for the next International Space Station crew rotation mission under the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins will join NASA’s Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti for the six-month SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the ISS.
The four are set to launch no earlier than April 2022 in a new Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
This will be the sixth operational Crew Dragon spaceflight for SpaceX and the fourth crew rotation mission under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Watkins will be on her first trip into space and will be the first black woman long-duration astronaut. She is also one of 18 astronauts that could fly aboard future crewed missions to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program.
Commanding the Crew-4 Dragon mission is Lindgren. This will be his second flight into space.
Piloting the Crew Dragon capsule will be Hines. This will also be his first trip into space.
Italian-born Cristoforetti will be on her second trip into space for Crew-4. She is set to command the ISS Expedition 68 crew.
Video courtesy of NASA
Theresa Cross
Theresa Cross grew up on the Space Coast. It’s only natural that she would develop a passion for anything “Space” and its exploration. During these formative years, she also discovered that she possessed a talent and love for defining the unique quirks and intricacies that exist in mankind, nature, and machines. Hailing from a family of photographers—including her father and her son, Theresa herself started documenting her world through pictures at a very early age. As an adult, she now exhibits an innate photographic ability to combine what appeals to her heart and her love of technology to deliver a diversified approach to her work and artistic presentations. Theresa has a background in water chemistry, fluid dynamics, and industrial utility.
