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ERRITT ISLAND, Florida (Achieve3000, May 12, 2022). Jessica Watkins' career has taken off. It's transporting her to a place she's been dreaming about since childhood…outer space. On April 27, 2022, Watkins blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 33-year-old is the mission specialist on NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 mission. She will work and live on the International Space Station (ISS) for six months.
Watkins' trip to space is a historic marker for NASA as well as a high point in her own career. She's the first Black woman to be part of a long-term mission on the ISS. In the early days of NASA, astronauts were military test pilots, who were usually White males of a certain height. Astronauts on the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions in the 1960s were all White men.
NASA began encouraging women and people of color to join its astronaut corps more than 50 years ago. Crews became more diverse as the decades passed. In 1992, Mae Jemison became the first Black female astronaut to go to space. Others followed. Watkins is the fifth Black woman to make the journey. She credits the pioneering leaders whose achievements blazed a path for her own. "It's important to recognize…that we are building on the foundation that was laid by the Black woman astronauts who've come before me," she said.
The ISS is Watkins' latest stop on a journey that started when she was very young. She attended an afterschool program at Judith A. Resnik Elementary School. Learning that the school was named after a female astronaut sparked her interest in space. A self-proclaimed "rock nerd," Watkins was also fascinated by geology from an early age. "My parents always stressed the importance of getting a good education and finding something that you're passionate about," she said in a NASA video.
She therefore built a career in STEM that would allow her to reach for the stars. Watkins got a degree in geological and environmental sciences from Stanford University. She then earned a PhD in geology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her studies of Mars' rock formations gave her exposure to careers in planetary geology.
Watkins went on to work as a scientist at the California Institute of Technology. There, she planned the daily activities of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover. She also investigated the Gale Crater on the red planet. Always aiming high, she applied for NASA's astronaut class of 2017 and was one of only 12 candidates who made the cut…out of a record-breaking 18,300. Watkins spent the next five years undergoing intense training for space travel. This included preparations to do research in zero gravity. Finally, it was her turn to step up to the launchpad.
Watkins' mission on the ISS probably won't be her last voyage into space. She's been tapped for NASA's Artemis program, which aims to put people back on the moon by 2025. That means this trailblazer could be the first woman to walk on the moon.
Watkins has learned the secret to realizing even the loftiest goals. She says it's "just putting one foot in front of the other on a daily basis. And if you put enough of those footprints together, eventually they become a path towards your dreams."
QUESTION 1
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Which of these is most important to include in a summary of this article?
Watkins worked with a NASA Mars rover at the California Institute of Technology.
Watkins earned a PhD in geology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Watkins is one of five Black female astronauts who have journeyed into space.
Watkins is the first Black woman to be part of a long-term mission on the ISS.
Bot GPT 3.5
answered
Watkins is the first Black woman to be part of a long-term mission on the ISS.
Killaim_Cipher
answered
Based on the article, the reader can tell that Watkins' study of rock formations __________.
had no major effect on existing geological studies
strengthened her candidacy for the 2017 astronaut class
improved her chances of admission to Stanford University
inspired NASA to change its astronaut selection process
Bot GPT 3.5
answered
strengthened her candidacy for the 2017 astronaut class
Killaim_Cipher
answered
Read this passage from the article:
NASA began encouraging women and people of color to join its astronaut corps more than 50 years ago. Crews became more diverse as the decades passed.
Which phrase from the passage helps you understand the meaning of the word diverse?
join its astronaut corps
NASA began encouraging
as the decades passed
women and people of color
Bot GPT 3.5
answered