COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Two years ago, Jessica Watkins and Raja Chari were launched into space where they would spend more than 170 days aboard the International Space Station.
"Hard work really does pay off, there are very few circumstances where working your hardest, putting your all into something will be something you regret," said Watkins in an interview on NASA's website.
Watkins is a planetary geologist who spent her time in space working on many different scientific experiments. Chari is an Air Force Academy graduate who performed two spacewalks during his time on the ISS.
"It's not just the US or NASA, we're taking the world with us," he said. "I think 100 years, 200 years, ... the science is amazing, but I think the legacy (of the space station) will be how it brought the world together in peace throughout multiple conflicts. I think Artemis is that."
The Artemis mission is NASA's newest effort to return astronauts to the moon again. Not only will this effort result in the first woman and person of color to step on the moon, but will lay the groundwork for further space exploration.
Right now, NASA is looking to recruit the next class of astronauts, and applications are open.
"Really what we're looking for is a diverse background because part of the strength of our office is having so many different ideas, and we need that to get to the moon," Chari says.
Watkins, a Boulder native, says that NASA has a history of accepting astronauts from Colorado.
"We have a lot of representation and a legacy that goes back to the early days of the astronaut program, and I think that has brought some of the space industry to this state as well, so it's a really special place," she told me.
"You know, the lineage is Space Command, NORAD, so a lot of early space coordination happened here. And I think as this industry has bloomed, it is a natural hub, like a Silicon Valley of the space industry," Chari continued.
To apply to be an astronaut, NASA says you must be a U.S. Citizen, have a master's degree in a STEM field, have three years of experience as a pilot or doctor and pass a physical. Applications close on April 16.
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