Not So 'Hidden Figures': NASA's First Female African-American Astronaut To Join The ISS Crew

First Posted: Jan 10, 2017 05:33 AM EST

Just in time for the release of the movie Hidden Figures, NASA announced its first African-American woman to board the International Space Station (ISS).

Huffington Post reported that Astronaut Jeanette Epps will be the first female black American to join the ISS crew. This makes the 46-year-old aerospace engineer, who hails from Syracuse, New York, the 13th woman to board the space station.

With a PhD in aerospace engineering, Jeanette Epps has served as a NASA astronaut since 2009 and was a former fellow of NASA Graduate Student Researchers Project. Also included in her extensive resume is a seven-year experience as a technical intelligence officer at the Central Intelligence Agency.

Jeanette Epps will be joining astronaut Andrew Feustel as a flight engineer on Expedition 56 in May 2018. She will remain on board for Expedition 57 as well.

"Each space station crew brings something different to the table, and Drew and Jeanette both have a lot to offer," said NASA's chief of the Astronaut Office Chris Cassidy from the Johnson Space Center in Houston in a press release. "The space station will benefit from having them on board."

Just last month, Jeanette Epps has completed her training for the Soyuz spacecraft mission at the Star City in Moscow, Russia. She tweeted photos during the training including a snap of her communication trainers.

Among her previous training include intensive instruction in International Space Station systems, spacewalk training, scientific and technical briefings, robotics, T-38 flight training and wilderness survival training.

Jeanette Epps was also among the honored figures that motivated the attendees during last month's Grace Hopper Celebration -- a conference of women in technology.

"In order to succeed you have to do well and perform well. Don't do less and accept less. Put in the time and complete the task," she said. "You want to be a contributing member to every group that you are a part of."