Though we all have differences, there’s one commonality that has prevailed for all of humanity: we are all floating on a rock, flying through outer space at over a million miles an hour.
Thanks to the rapid advancement of technology in the past century, we can observe much more of the universe than we ever thought possible.
The scale and sheer size of the universe make it impossible to truly learn everything, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
Here's what's happening in space this week.
History was made Wednesday as Marine pilot Nicole Aunupu Mann broke through Earth's atmosphere and shattered a glass ceiling as the first Native American woman in space.
As part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 mission, Mann launched to the International Space Station Wednesday aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon along with 3 other crewmembers, according to NASA.
Selected by NASA in 2013, Mann is a Colonel in the US Marine Corps and has served two deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mann is registered with the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes. Her historic spaceflight follows John Herrington's achievement of first Native American man in space in 2002.
Mann spoke with Reuters about her monumental achievement.
"I feel very proud," she said. "It's important that we celebrate our diversity and really communicate that specifically to the younger generation."
The goal of the Crew-5 mission that Mann is a part of is to prepare for the upcoming Artemis mission, NASA's program which aims to return humans (and robots) to the Moon, according to Reuters.
"What we're doing in low earth orbit not only trains the astronauts but provides the technical development and operational concepts that we're going to need to live (with a) sustained human presence on the moon and eventually take us to Mars," she said to Reuters.
After several launch attempts, the Artemis I rocket launch was postponed to mid-November.
Artemis 2 and 3 are expected to launch no sooner than 2024, according to NASA.
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