Nicole Aunapu Mann

Nicole Aunapu Mann
File:NASA Candidate Nicole Aunapu Mann.jpg
NASA Astronaut
Nationality	American
Status	Candidate
Born	(1977-06-27) June 27, 1977 Petaluma, California, U.S.
Alma mater	U.S. Naval Academy Stanford University U.S. Naval Test Pilot School
Rank	Major, USMC
Selection	2013 NASA Group

Nicole Victoria Aunapu Mann (born June 27, 1977) is a NASA astronaut from the class of 2013.

Nicole Mann is a Major in the U.S. Marine Corps. Originally from Penngrove, California, she is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Stanford University and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. Mann is an F/A 18 pilot and completed astronaut candidate training in July 2015.

Early life

Mann grew up in Penngrove, California, and attended Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park, California. Her father told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat that she didn't show much interest in space as a child, but decided during her junior year in high school that she would attend the U.S. Naval Academy after graduation.

Career

Mann graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy before earning a degree in mechanical engineering at Stanford University. She completed U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and went on to serve in Iraq. Before being accepted to NASA's astronaut training program, she was stationed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland as an F/A-18 fighter jet pilot.

In 2013, she was one of eight candidates selected from more than 6,300 applicants to train as a potential astronaut for NASA. NASA has said that Mann could be one of the first astronauts sent on a mission to an asteroid, or to Mars.

Gallery

• Nicole Mann.jpg

  Major Mann, 2013

External links

• NASA Astronaut Candidate Bio