Penngrove’s history-making Nicole Mann becomes 1st Native American female to walk in space

She was already an academic superstar, a decorated pilot, a war veteran and the first Native American woman to go to space. Now, Nicole Aunapu “Duke” Mann, originally from Penngrove, has another history-making accomplishment under her belt as the first Native American woman to spacewalk.

Mann headed NASA’s most recent mission to the International Space Station last October, and has been circling Earth ever since, looking down from above alongside other astronauts and cosmonauts from the U.S., Russia, Europe, Canada and Japan.

On Friday, Mann successfully completed another huge milestone, becoming the first Native American woman to don a spacesuit and spend time outside of a space vessel.

The seven-hour undertaking began Friday morning and was recorded — and broadcast live over YouTube — with unprecedented clarity by the astronauts’ helmet cameras.

The result was breathtaking footage of Mann and her fellow spacewalker, mission specialist Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, floating more than 250 miles above a glowing blue Earth as they worked to install platforms for a new solar array.

“Copy that, Duke,” was a phrase heard several times as Mann checked in with Command Central at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Once their task was completed, the two spacewalkers reentered the space station’s airlock at around 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time. After repressurizing, the airlock’s hatch opened to admit them safe and sound.

A Wailacki member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, Mann was born in Petaluma, grew up in Penngrove and attended Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park. When she’s not in low Earth orbit, she lives in Houston with her husband and son.

Before becoming an astronaut, Mann was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1999, and has completed more than 2,500 flight hours in 25 types of aircraft, 200 carrier arrestments — the sudden deceleration when planes are landed on aircraft carriers — and 47 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As commander of the launch into space Oct. 5, Mann guided NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission into orbit until docking with the space station approximately 254 miles above Earth’s surface. Her four-member crew, which included Wakata, is scheduled to stay at the International Space Station for another month or so.

Originally launched in 1998, the International Space Station, a joint project of five space agencies from 15 countries, travels in its orbit at more than 17,000 mph, according to information provided by NASA. Due to its great speed, it takes only about 90 minutes to circle the Earth, meaning the space station is “traveling through 16 sunrises and sunsets” every day, NASA says.

Judy Coffey, a Santa Rosa resident whose daughter grew up with Mann, recalled how the young talent always seemed destined for the stars.

“What I can remember is she always loved the sky,” Coffey said last October, after Mann successfully completed the flight into space. “She would always talk about the stars and the moon. I can remember that so clearly. She was intrigued by the sky and space when she was 10, 12, 13 years old. It didn’t always make sense to me at the time, but it sure does today.”

Don Frances is editor of the Petaluma Argus-Courier. Reach him at don.frances@arguscourier.com or on Twitter at @mrdonfrances.