BREVARD County, Fla.; – NASA is expected to launch the first and next female on the moon in 2024 as part of the Artemis Program.
What you need to know
- Grace Peters is a junior at West Junior Junior / Senior High School
- She is currently in her first class of 150
- Her plan is to work hard at school and become an astronaut
A female astronaut is part of a Crew-2 mission, as NASA sends more people back to the International Space Station in the coming weeks.
And one Brevard County high school says she has a desire to be like her.
Young Grace Peters at West Shore High School is at the top of her class – first place out of 150.
Her passion for two particular subjects goes back as far as she can remember.
“I’ve always loved my science and maths classes, they’ve always been better than me,” Peters said.
They are two skills that come in handy in a particular area that she is also passionate about.
“I’ve always loved a place, it’s interesting,” she said.
Her father is an engineer for a local company, which allowed her to see rocket launchers like the NOAA GOES-S in 2018.
Combine that knowledge and her knot for excellence in math and science, you might find what she wants to be one day: an astronaut.
She knows that blasting into space is not an easy path.
“It takes a lot of work, and I’m sure it’s scary to leave Earth,” Peters said.
One of those “leaving Earth” is the next NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, who will be testing the Space X Crew Dragon spacecraft during her maiden voyage to the ISS.
“We receive very general training, and as a scientist and engineer, you will receive training across the basic concepts, physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, mechanics,” McArthur said in a briefing NASA Monday.
It’s an inspiration for Peters, because McArthur is not just an aerospace engineering engineer, but he’s also a woman to look up to.
And one day she was, as McArthur might be, touching another world.
“Not many people have gone to the moon, and if I could be one of those people that would be amazing,” Peters said with a laugh.
Next Peters chooses a state or out-of-state college to further her education while she takes steps toward a potential career in an outside career.