HEROES OF SPACE

A record-breaking astronaut who could be one of the first women to step foot on the Moon

- CHRISTINA KOCH

CHRISTINA KOCH

Koch is an inspirational, record-breaking NASA astronaut who might one day make it to the Moon. On 9 January 2020, Koch celebrated her 300th day in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS). By the time she landed back on Earth on 6 February, she had broken the record for the longest time spent in space by a woman. But that’s not her only historic achievement. Just a few months prior, Koch and another female astronaut, Jessica Meir, completed the first all-woman spacewalk.

Koch was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and grew up in Jacksonville, North Carolina. From a young age, she wanted to be an astronaut, joining her middle school’s ‘Rocket Club’. Trips to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida only solidified that dream. Koch attended North Carolina State University in Raleigh and completed a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering as well as a bachelor’s in physics. She then completed her master’s in electrical engineering.