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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCF chapter.

Last week, NASA set out to make history once again. Two NASA astronauts, Christina Koch and Jessica Meir, stepped out of the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time in history without a male companion. This act, known as a “spacewalk,” was highly anticipated, not just by the two women participating but by the world watching. 

For Meir, taking part in a spacewalk was something she had dreamed about since childhood, writing in her high school yearbook that she would one day take the leap out of the ISS. Her next goal? To walk on the moon.

This historic spacewalk comes nearly a decade after the first crew mission to the ISS. On Halloween of 2000, a new era of space exploration and international cooperation was born. Expedition 1, the first long-duration stay at the station, lasted for 136 days. Since that time, the ISS has seen roughly 239 astronauts come abroad from 19 different countries. And for the first time, in 2019 — nearly 10 years later — Koch and Meir will go down as the first women to complete an all-female spacewalk.

 

 

But the question has to be asked: why has it taken so long for this to happen? And truthfully, there is no clear cut or all-consuming answer. What is known for a fact, however, is that both astronauts hope it will not be the last. Training together since 2013, their astronaut class was the first to be comprised of 50% men and 50% women. 

Meir was quoted stating, “there are more females and more diversity in general in STEM fields that has led to a higher percentage of women in astronaut classes. To me, that kind of gender equality and inclusion is the way to get the job done for a successful mission.” 

Within the last decade, the number of women in STEM fields has grown exponentially, with many senior positions in the space industry being held by women professionals in the field. This spacewalk serves to reinforce the idea that diversity in science and technology is crucial to contributing to the betterment of humankind. 

 

 

For Koch, the ability to see someone who looks just like you excelling in STEM is something she’s always dreamed of being part of. Both women believe that the more diverse a team is, the happier it will ultimately be. 

Going to the largest university in the nation with a motto like “Reach for the Stars,” it is no wonder that students here at UCF continue to push the envelope. The dream of becoming the next scientist to contribute to planetary research, the next physicist to study particles and radiation, the next mathematician to write the formula to send us to Mars. 

Christina Koch and Jessica Meir have ignited those dreams in us to soar to levels we never thought possible. 

Images: 1, 2, all other image credit to @NASA_Astronauts on Twitter.  

A senior at the University of Central Florida, Rose is majoring in International Relations & Comparative Politics with minors in Diplomacy, History, and Intelligence and National Security. For her final year as a Knight, she is serving as the Senior Editor for Her Campus @ UCF. Outside of doing copious amounts of homework, she spends an unhealthy amount of time reading historical fiction, watching planes fly by outside of her apartment window, and eating ice cream from the pint. After college, she hopes to finally figure out the secret to life, or at least how to grow 2 more inches.
UCF Contributor