Onslow County welcomes record-breaking astronaut, Christina Koch, back to her roots

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by Bilyana Garland

Thu, April 25th 2024 at 10:45 AM

Updated Thu, April 25th 2024 at 7:56 PM

U.S. astronauts Christina Hammock Koch, a member of the main crew to the International Space Station (ISS). (AP Photo)

JACKSONVILLE, Onslow County — Hometown hero, Christina Koch, returns to Jacksonville Thursday with scheduled visits to the schools she attended, including White Oak High School.

Koch is a veteran of multiple space missions. According to NASA, she made history during her time aboard the International Space Station. She holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, spending 328 days, about 11 months, in space. She also participated in the first all-female spacewalk, marking a significant milestone for women in space exploration.

NASA chose Koch as an astronaut in 2013. Since then, she has been an integral part of Expedition 59,60, and 61. She is currently assigned as Mission Specialist I of NASA's Artemis II mission, continuing to push the boundaries of space exploration.

Koch is from Grand Rapids, Michigan, but she grew up in Jacksonville, NC. She went to North Carolina State University where she earned degrees in electrical engineering and physics. She said in her NASA biography, her time at White Oak High School and the North Carolina School of Science and Math in Durham provided the early inspiration that fueled her passion for science.

Her dedication over the years led her to be selected for the prestigious NASA astronaut program in 2013.

Among her many accolades, Koch received the Neil Armstrong Award of Excellence, the Astronautics Engineer Award, and the Global ATHENA Leadership Award.