Watch astronaut Christina Koch and Google’s James Manyika discuss space, technology, and discovery. - blog.google

Astronaut Christina Koch, 47, is the first woman to travel to the Moon. She is also one of the four people who have ventured the farthest into space, serving as a specialist on the Artemis 2 mission. An engineer and physicist, Koch is the first civilian scientist astronaut — with no ties to her country’s military — to achieve all those milestones; she also holds the record for the longest continuous time spent in space by a woman and took part in the first all-female spacewalk. In this video interview with EL PAÍS, Koch revisits some of the most intense moments of her historic mission to the Moon last April and reflects on what lies ahead in the race to the Moon and Mars. The astronaut also discusses her future: she believes her time in space is behind her and that she is ready to pass the torch to a new generation of astronauts who will be called on to colonize our satellite and prepare for the first missions to the red planet. Koch says humanity is fully prepared for that goal, both physically and mentally. The scientist and astronaut is due to visit Spain later this month to receive the Princess of Asturias Award for Concord alongside the rest of the Artemis 2 crew. Question.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch is taking on a new role that will keep her in Earth's orbit, for now. Seven months after she made history by becoming the first woman to journey around the moon, Koch will become NASA's acting deputy chief engineer in November. The post will make her ineligible for future spaceflights, the agency announced Tuesday. Koch — an N. C. State University alumna who grew up in Jacksonville, N. C. — will helm NASA's engineering community by supporting "technical oversight, mission readiness, and engineering excellence" across the space agency's projects, according to a release. She takes the position as NASA sets its sights on establishing a permanent presence on the moon and bringing humans to Mars within the next decade. "Christina has seen NASA engineering from both sides of the equation: developing complex systems on the ground and trusting them with her life in space," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said.

All four Artemis II astronauts have now moved on to different roles.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch is taking a new role at the agency after making history as the first woman to fly near the moon during the Artemis II mission in April. Thirteen years after being selected as an astronaut, Koch plans to trade her spacesuit for a desk, NASA announced. The news comes about six months after Koch was part of the four-person Artemis II crew that rode a NASA spacecraft on a 10-day journey toward the moon. The mission marked a landmark moment in U. S. spaceflight, becoming not just the first crewed moon mission in half-a-century, but taking the astronauts farther from Earth than anyone had ever been. With Koch's announcement, all four of those astronauts have now stepped away from spaceflight to eye new career opportunities. Here's what to know about Koch, as well as what's next for the record-setting NASA astronaut. Rocket launches: Rocket launches due to surge in next decade across USArtemis II astronaut takes on new role at NASAEffective Nov. 1, Koch will become NASA's acting deputy chief engineer, NASA announced in an Oct. 13 press release. Koch will replace Katherine Van Hooser, who served in the role for 35 years.