Humans haven’t been to the moon since 1972. Since then, only 12 males have ever set foot on the moon. Jasmin Moghbeli, who is of Iranian descent and from Baldwin, New York, might become the first woman to set foot on the moon by 2024.
The Artemis Program is on track to send the first woman and the first person of color to the moon by the end of this decade. This is a tremendous victory for underrepresented people in the astronaut community. The Artemis program’s goal is to explore the moon even further than previous explorations.
The selection process to become an astronaut is a vigorous one; only the best of the best are selected. One must complete at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in a jet aircraft, a master’s degree in a STEM field and a NASA long-time duration spaceflight physical. For Moghbeli, it is one step closer to her goal to reach the moon.
Moghbeli was born in Bad Nauheim, Germany, on June 24, 1983. She grew up in Baldwin and graduated from Baldwin Senior High School in Baldwin.
Moghbeli continued her studies, receiving multiple degrees and certifications. Moghbeli earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering with information technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Master of Science in aerospace engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.
After Moghbeli completed her undergraduate degree, she was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in 2005. Moghbeli completed her flight training for the Marines in 2008. Since then, Moghbeli has been on over 150 combat missions and has flown over 25 different aircrafts.
On June 7, 2017, NASA selected Moghbeli to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class. Moghbeli’s childhood dream was to become an astronaut, with only more than a handful of women becoming astronauts.
There has not been a woman on the moon to this day, but Moghbeli would like to change that. Putting a woman on the moon could be an excellent accomplishment for gender equality.
Moghbeli uses her doubt as a motivator to help her work harder to accomplish her goals. Long nights of studying and working, Moghbeli has overcome tremendous obstacles throughout her life to reach where she is now.
Despite these struggles, Moghbeli’s journey has just begun in hopes of further space exploration.
