The first Native American woman in space went into outer space

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — The first Native American woman in space went into outer space Friday to prepare the International Space Station for additional solar arrays.

NASA astronaut Nicole Mann walked out with Japan’s Koichi Wakata, carrying a bag of equipment. Their job was to install support legs and brackets for the new solar panels launching this summer, part of NASA’s ongoing effort to expand the space station’s power grid.

Mann, a Marine colonel and test pilot, flew into orbit with SpaceX last fall, becoming the first Native American woman in space. She is a member of the Wailaki Round Valley Indian Tribe in Northern California.

Wakata, Japan’s spaceflight leader with five missions, has also flown for SpaceX. He helped build the station during the shuttle era.

Friday was the first spacewalk for both.

The pair will leave the space station in about a month.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.