Three Black female astronauts share their story.
What made you want to become an astronaut?
Stephanie Wilson: It was 1969 and I was 10 years old. I was at the top of an old oak tree looking at the sky and the moon. My dad called me into the house, telling me to watch a human walking on the moon for the very first time. That was that seminal moment and I never looked back. I just wanted to keep looking and looking until I could see my footprint on the moon.
Photo Credit: NASA
Jeanette Epps: It actually started when I was 9 years old years old. I have a twin sister and we have a couple of older siblings. My older brother was in college and came home for break. Janet, my twin and I had just gotten our report cards and we had done really well in math and science. His comments to us were, “wow you guys are doing well, you can become an aerospace engineer or even an astronaut or some kind of scientist because there were a bunch of women selected to be astronauts.” I thought they probably won’t select me to be an astronaut, but I can definitely become an aerospace engineer. But, that one little seed he planted in my mind back then stuck with me forever. My sister went on to earn a PhD in molecular cell biology.
Photo Credit: NASA
Dr. Yvonne Cagle: I became interested in space when I was about 13 years old. My first interest was in astronomy and I was given a school assignment to interview someone interesting and I chose an Astronomy professor and was fascinated by his work. This is what sparked my first interest in science and in space. Later though I became interested in engineering and I thought that aerospace engineering would be a good combination of my interest in space and my interest in engineering. I was very fortunate, my parents encouraged me to pursue my dreams and told me that I could be anything I wanted to be.
Photo Credit: NASA
via Three Black Female Astronauts Share Their Small Steps, Giant Leaps - NBC News
