NASA astronaut Christina Koch to set the record for longest spaceflight by a woman

We all applauded Katie Bouman last week for creating an algorithm that brought the world the first images of the black hole. Women are making great strides in the field of science and the applause must continue.

All of us had our moments of shock and surprise when astronaut Christina Koch, who was scheduled to take part in the first all-female spacewalk alongside Anne McClain on March 26 could not because of the unavailability of a spacesuit.

But Christina Koch was undeterred. And she now has eyes set on a new record.

In a recent development, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced that Christina is all set to create a record for the longest spaceflight by a woman.

Christina arrived at the International Space Station on March 14 and according to NASA, will remain in orbit until February 2020, making it the longest time in space by a woman astronaut. Once she completes it, she will break the record of 288 days set by former astronaut Peggy Whitson in 2016-2017.

The astronaut shared her excitement on Twitter.

Who is Christina Koch? 5 things you must know about her

With information from NASA's official website, we have put together five achievements of astronaut Christina Koch that makes her a super achiever.

1. Christina graduated from the NASA academy program at Goddard Space Flight Center in 2001.
2. She worked as an electrical engineer in the laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics at GSFC from 2002-2004.
3. She was selected as an astronaut in June 2013 as one of the eight members of her class.
4. Her Astronaut Candidate Training included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in International Space Station systems, spacewalks, robotics, physiological training, T‐38 flight training, and water and wilderness survival training.
5. She is currently part of Expedition 59 and 60 crew that launched at the International Space Station last month.

If you want be part of her exciting journey, follow her Twitter updates that are full of incredible photographs and some great achievements.

Also read: Meet Katie Bouman, the young scientist who worked on the algorithm that helped create the image of the Black Hole