NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine stopped by “Science Friday,” a science and tech radio show, where he revealed the agency’s plans to put a woman on Mars, CNN reports.
Bridenstine teased that the first person to step foot on the big red rock was “likely to be” a woman but didn’t name names. He did, however, say that female astronauts were an important part of the agency’s upcoming plans for Mars visitation.
The administrator also answered questions from social media, specifically about returning to the moon and the likelihood of a woman reaching the surface of our closest neighbor.
“These are great days,” he said and expects the next person to step foot on the moon to most likely be a woman.
NASA will soon perform its first all-female spacewalk with astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch, who’ll be floating around the outside of the International Space Station (ISS).
The space agency has come a long way since the 1970s when just six women were in the astronaut corps. Now, women make up 34% of active astronauts at NASA.
“NASA is committed to making sure we have a broad and diverse set of talent,” Bridenstine said.
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