*A standing ovation is in order for Jeanette J. Epps, who is about to make history as the first black astronaut (male or female) to board the International Space Station.
NASA announced that Epps, 46, will board ISS as a flight engineer in May 2018 on Expedition 56 alongside veteran astronaut Andrew Feustel, and will stay on board for Expedition 57.
Epps, a native of Syracuse, NY, will also be the 13th woman to board the ISS.
Her training for the mission included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in ISS systems, spacewalk training, robotics, T-38 flight training and wilderness survival training, according to NASA.
Epps was a NASA Fellow during graduate school and authored several journal and conference articles describing her research. She previously worked for Ford Motor Company where she received both a provisional patent and a U.S. patent for her research.
After leaving Ford, she joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for seven years working as a Technical Intelligence Officer before becoming an astronaut.
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