If you could decide, which would you prefer? Go to the Moon or Mars? This question, merely theoretical for most people, takes on another meaning for Jessica Watkins, a NASA astronaut.
“Whatever comes first!” she replies to AFP with a laugh, during an exclusive interview in zero gravity from the International Space Station (ISS).
At 34, the American has a whole career ahead of her and could be one of the first women to step on the moon in the coming years.
Missions to Mars seem further away, but since astronauts often work until their 50s, Watkins may still have a chance.
Faced with this hypothetical choice, she refuses to decide and assures her that she would be “absolutely delighted” whether her destination “is the Moon or Mars”.
Meanwhile, her first spaceflight made history: she was the first black woman to undertake a long-duration mission to the ISS, where she has spent more than three months and will continue for another three.
The Apollo missions only took white men to the moon.
NASA seeks to change this image little by little with the arrival not only of the first woman, but also of the first black person.
“It will be an important step for the agency, for the country and even for the world. Representation is important. It’s hard to become what you don’t see,” Watkins said.
“I am so grateful to those who came before me, the women and black astronauts who paved the way for me to be here today,” he added. “It was important to me.”
geologist soul
Watkins was born in Gaithersburg, a Washington suburb, grew up in Colorado and studied geology in California.
As part of a postdoctoral fellowship, he worked for NASA on the Curiosity rover mission, which has just completed ten years on Mars. So the planet entered your heart. The American published a scientific study on Mars while in orbit on the ISS.
“Geologist, scientist, astronaut” is the order in which it is described.
She remembers the moment when she awakened her passion for planetary geology, the science that studies the composition and formation of stars. It was one of his first geology classes, on planetary accretion, that is, when solid bodies merge to form larger bodies and, ultimately, planets.
There, “I realized that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and what I wanted to study,” he said.
That’s why he considers “formidable” the fact of “being part of an effort that really seeks to work on another planetary body”.
Successor to Apollo, the Artemis program seeks to progressively establish a lasting human presence on the Moon, which could be used as a base for voyages to Mars.
A first unmanned mission is due to take off on August 29 towards the Moon.
Jessica Watkins is one of the 18 astronauts assigned to Artemis. Officially, all “active” astronauts (there are currently 42) have an equal chance of being selected to travel to the Moon.
‘Overcoming limits’
While NASA may favor a more experienced astronaut for the first manned mission, Watkins’ scientific profile should work in his favor in the future.
For astronauts, having good character and team spirit is also crucial, as crew members spend a lot of time confined in tiny spaces.
Watkins says her family assures her she is “easy going” and has learned the value of teamwork playing rugby.
What defines an astronaut’s job for her? “Each of us has this sense of exploration and desire to keep pushing the limits of what humans are capable of. I think it’s something that unites us,” she replies.
From a very young age she dreamed of traveling to space and always kept that hope in her head, not thinking that it could “really happen” one day.
“Don’t be afraid to dream big”, he encourages. “You never know when your dreams will come true.”
