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Nov. 6, 2025: The first Native American in space describes a ‘very humbling feeling’

By Chandra Thomas Whitfield
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Astronaut John Herrington, in a full space suit, waves to the camera as he floats outside a space craft.
Courtesy NASA
On Nov. 30, 2002, NASA astronaut John Herrington performed the third and final spacewalk of the STS-113 mission. Herrington, an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation, was the first Native American in space. On STS-113, he logged more than 330 hours in space, including 3 spacewalks totaling 19 hours and 55 minutes.

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Nov. 6, 2025: The first Native American in space describes a ‘very humbling feeling’

Growing up in Colorado, John Herrington fell in love with rock climbing. Little did he know that would start his climb to the stars. A citizen of the Chickasaw nation, Herrington is the first Native American to go into space. Then, the impact of federal energy cuts on innovation in Colorado. Also, training and retaining nurses in rural areas. And, Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.

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