NASA Astronaut Christina Koch has achieved a new important milestone for female astronauts after spending more than 300th days in spice. This is the longest time spent by a female at the International Space Station, and she will remain aboard for a few weeks.
The forty-year-old astronaut has participated in a series of notable events. In October, she and fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Miller completed the first all-female spacewalk with two more spacewalks being planned before the end of the mission. The pair completed a second spacewalk on January 2020, and another one is scheduled to take place on January 20.
Koch landed on the International Space Station on March 14, 2019. Her mission schedule has a length of 328 days, and she will return to Earth on February 6. The skilled astronaut joined the crew as a flight engineer on three different expeditions and has completed five spacewalks.
NASA Astronaut Celebrates Her 300th Day in Space
Koch marked the anniversary moment with a message shared on a popular social network along with an image of Earth as it can be seen from the international space station. Within the message, she mentioned that she feels honored to have received the chance to contribute to an initiative that offers valuable benefits for humanity.
Two actresses from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker visited the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston to highlight the achievement recorded by Koch. Naomi Ackie and Kelly-Marie Tran performed celebration fist-pumps. They praised Koch for her achievements and stated that her contributions to the world inspired them.
Usually, a mission to the ISS will last for a maximum period of six months, but NASA and other international partners plan to change this rule. The space agency plans to let astronauts spend at least nine months in space since this is the minimum period needed to reach Mars with the help of current technology.
