Here are 20 Female Astronauts You Should Definitely Know

20. Nicole Aunapu Mann

Nicole Aunapu Mann is the remaining fourth woman on the eight-person 2013 astronaut class. This class, by the way, is the first astronaut training class to have equal numbers of men and women in NASA history.

Unlike many other astronauts, though, Mann wasn’t always sure what she wanted to do. “It wasn’t until my first tour in Iraq flying fighter jets with the Marine Corps that I realized one day I might actually be a good candidate,” she said.

Despite her early indecision, Mann’s career shows her intense drive and passion for flight in its many forms. Science, of course, is another major factor in Mann’s life. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1999, she went on to earn her undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in 2001.

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After graduating from Stanford, Mann served two combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. There, she flew 47 missions in F/A-18 fighter jets. Upon her return, Mann then went to the United States Naval Test Pilot School. All told, she has since accumulated over 2,000 flight hours in 22 different types of aircraft.

As one of the latest individuals to join the astronaut corps, Mann stands to be on the cutting edge of spaceflight. She will set the stage for future missions, which will currently include landing humans on a near-Earth asteroid and a long-term mission to Mars.