WASHINGTON, D.C. December 10, 2019 – U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) on Monday joined Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Susan Collins (R-ME), along with all 22 of their female colleagues, in introducing a resolution congratulating astronauts Dr. Jessica U. Meir and Christina H. Koch for the historic accomplishment of completing the first all-female spacewalk. The bipartisan resolution also supports the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) efforts to fully integrate women into the astronaut corps and ensure that one of the next humans to walk on the moon will be a woman.
On October 18, 2019, Dr. Meir and Ms. Koch conducted a seven hour and seven minute spacewalk to replace a power controller—the first all-female spacewalk in history, and the 14th and 15th women, respectively, to conduct a spacewalk.
“Astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir completed the first ever all-female spacewalk– a historic moment demonstrating to young girls everywhere that there is no limit to what women can accomplish,” said Senator Harris. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in recognizing these extraordinary women. Their accomplishment will inspire generations to come.”
Dr. Meir is a native of Caribou, Maine. She has a degree in biology from Brown University, a master’s in space studies from the International Space University, and a Ph.D. in marine biology from the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Ms. Koch is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan. She has a degree in electrical engineering and physics, as well as a master’s degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University.
In 2013, Dr. Meir and Ms. Koch were among the four women and four men selected from 6,100 applications for NASA’s 21st class of astronauts and began training for future space flights. NASA first began to admit women into its astronaut program in 1978.
Click HERE to read the resolution.