First Native-American woman in space felt something no one had ever felt before — Earth’s fragility

In 2022, Astronaut Nicole Mann became the first Native American woman to travel into space. She created history by serving as the commander of SpaceX Crew-5, which launched on October 5. The mission lasted for 157 days, during which the crew conducted various experiments to support future space exploration. The entire experience was thrilling, but Mann was specifically awed by Mother Earth, she told the Associated Press.

Mann spoke about the overwhelming beauty of Earth; she confessed that she often finds herself looking out at the wonderful things Mother Earth has to offer. "It is an incredible scene of color, of clouds and land, and it’s difficult not to stay in the cupola (lookout) all day and just see our planet Earth and how beautiful she is, and how delicate and fragile she is against the blackest of black that I’ve ever seen — space — in the background," she said. Before the launch, Mann confessed she spent hours anticipating the experience. However, now that she had experienced all of it, she said, it's difficult to explain because the emotions are "absolutely overwhelming." Mann also said she is blessed to have received prayers and blessings from her family and tribal community. For those unaware, the NASA astronaut comes from the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes in Northern California. As a child, the ex‑Marine officer was given a dreamcatcher by her mother. The gift was extremely special to her, as she always held it close to her heart. In fact, Mann revealed she had taken the dreamcatcher with her to space for emotional support. 

The traditional webbed hoop with feathers is used for protection, and for Mann, she said, it gave her the strength to deal with challenging situations. "It’s the strength to know that I have the support of my family and community back home and that when things are difficult or things are getting hard or I’m getting burned out or frustrated, that strength is something that I will draw on to continue toward a successful mission,” Mann confessed. The NASA astronaut explained why it's so important to catch onto positive energy. She said for some, it's difficult to understand, but positive energy helps her to control her attitude. Mann also spoke about the diversity in space while mentioning different types of people aboard the space station. At that time, it was home to three Americans, three Russians, and one Japanese astronaut.

Emphasizing it, Mann said, "What that does is it just highlights our diversity and how incredible it is when we come together as a human species, the wonderful things that we can do and that we can accomplish." Born in June 1977 in Petaluma, California, Mann was always very fascinated with stars and space, but did not necessarily understand astronauts. She had no idea who astronauts were or what they did. "Unfortunately, in my mind at that time, it was not in the realm of possibilities," she said. Things changed as she moved on in her life, looking at Mother Earth while encouraging others to follow their dreams. "If you have dreams and aspirations of going into space or working in space, or doing something else, know that those dreams are achievable. You will stumble along the way, but that's okay. But stick with it, and you can achieve those dreams," she added. 

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