Astronaut shares her journey to space | Space

Astronaut Jeanette Epps is living a dream very few get to see come true.The University of Maryland alumna has been on the International Space Station since early March, helping with research for the future.”We lifted off, and it was an amazing feeling,” Epps told 11 News in an exclusive video conference interview. “It was truly exhilarating.”Epps comprises part of SpaceX’s Crew-8 mission.”When we docked, it was when the hatch opened, to see our colleagues to actually be here, it was surreal,” Epps told 11 News.It’s a truly “out-of-this-world” experience. The research being done up there is furthering scientific discovery down here on Earth. One project is tracking how the immune system functions over time while in space.”We can collect our own blood, we do our own blood draws, and then, we can process the blood here on orbit, and that is about a two- to three-day process to do,” Epps told 11 News. “Being a part of these experiments where we’re the hands and eyes for all the researchers on the ground is exciting.”Epps is already in an elite club of people who have traveled to space or have been on the International Space Station. Narrow that down to the number of Black women who have done so, and you’ll find just a few.Video below: NASA Black History Month Astronaut Profile – Jeanette Epps”I do think that there’s room for everyone, and we do need more representation….

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