Pettigrew helps welcome Native astronaut Nicole Mann back to Earth

Choctaw Nation tribal member Penny J Pettigrew was honored to welcome Space-X Crew-5 Commander and Astronaut Nicole Mann, the first Native American woman to launch to space, home after over a five-month mission onboard the International Space Station.

Nicole “Duke” Mann was the first Native American woman to launch into space in October 2022 and returned after over five months onboard the International Space Station (ISS) in March 2023.

Pettigrew serves as an ISS Payloads Communication Manager (PAYCOM) at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. Pettigrew got to work with and assist Duke in successfully completing her science activities while she was on the ISS.

Commander Mann and her crewmates Josh Cassada and Koichi Wakata recently visited MSFC to present an overview of their mission and thank everyone for all we did to support them during their time in space. Nicole mentioned Pettigrew by name as one of the specific people she wanted to thank during the presentation.