From Grand Rapids to the Galaxy: Michigan Women in Space

POP STAR KATY PERRY WENT TO SPACE

She was part of the all-female team on Blue Origin's latest space mission. Filmmaker Kerianne Flynn, journalist Gayle King, philanthropist Lauren Sanchez, NASA scientist Aisha Bowe and astronaut and bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen were also part of the crew that spent eleven minutes off the face of the planet.  

STARRY-EYED MICHIGANDERS 

Beyond the starry-eyed singer crooning in space, this was a historic space flight. According to GeekWire, “This mission, known as NS-31, marked the 31st flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard spaceship and the 11th crewed flight...NS-31 was the first women-only space mission since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s solo spaceflight in 1963.” But it’s not the only time women have made history in space.  Including some with Michigan roots.  

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Cathy Olkin was born and raised in Michigan. While she’s never left Earth, her research and work on planetary atmospheres (she’s a Doctor, receiving her Ph D. in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences from MIT in 1996) has led to unprecedented knowledge of our outer solar system. Dr. Olkin is currently leading the research in the Lucy mission, a 12-year space probe mission visiting the asteroid belt around Jupiter. 

Christina Hammock Koch, raised in Grand Rapids, holds two space records:  

• Longest single spaceflight by a woman (328 days aboard the ISS) 
• One-half of the team (partnered with Jessica Meir) to perform the first ever all-female spacewalk in 2019. 

Christina is also set to be a Mission Specialist on Artemis II, a lunar fly-by which will test equipment, programs, and technologies that are being built to sustain our presence on the Moon. The Artemis II crew set to head back to the moon in April 2026. 

MICHIGAN...ROOTED IN SPACE

The Artemis I mission (the unmanned lunar fly-by that tested the equipment for the manned Artemis II mission) also had Michigan roots...literally. Biological Experiment-01 from Michigan State and led by Dr. Federica Brandizzi was an award-winning experiment testing how seeds might grow in space. The goal was to learn if/how astronauts could grow healthy food while traveling in space, as well as maintain plants that can survive the rigors of space travel.  

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Be it philanthropists, astronauts, journalists, scientists, and pop stars, women are taking a “Giant Leap for Womankind,” when it comes to this new era of space exploration. Yep, Katy Perry went to space, but Michigan women are rocketing the way to the stars and beyond.