Who is record-breaking Nasa astronaut Christina Koch?

Koch: "We're going actually to learn about ourselves and to bring back benefits to Earth that will help us be a better human species on Earth." – Reuters

CHRISTINA Hammock Koch has already made history. At only 44, she's already set the record for the longest single space flight by a woman, with a total of 328 days in space. Koch has also done six space walks, including the first three all-women excursions. Soon, she'll be adding another historic achievement to her tally as she becomes the first woman to embark on a lunar mission.

From Ellington Field near the Nasa Johnson Space Center, Koch and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency were announced as the mission specialists for Artemis II – the first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo era – where four astronauts will fly around the moon and back aboard the Orion spacecraft in November 2024. Joining them are Commander Reid Wiseman and Pilot Victor Glover – who will be the first Black astronaut to fly around the moon.