General News of Sunday, 16 February 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Ghana flag stays in space after return of American astronaut

Christina Koch last year reminisced about her experience and time spent in Ghana 20 years ago Christina Koch last year reminisced about her experience and time spent in Ghana 20 years ago

An American Astronaut, Christina Hammock Koch has returned home this month after spending 328 days in space and broke multiple records for women in space.

She completed the longest single spaceflight by a woman and conducted the first all-female spacewalk with fellow astronaut Jessica Meir.

Christina Koch, in a post on Twitter in December last year reminisced about her experience and time spent in Ghana some 20 years ago and thanks to her, the flag of Ghana was seen from her crew cabin in outer space.

She studied at the University of Ghana-Legon and became connected to the country ever since.

“20 years ago, I was studying abroad at the @UnivofGh. Like spaceflight, it was a positive, life-changing, perspective-deepening experience. Seeing the beauty of Ghana from space reminds me of the amazing people I met there and how in exploring the world, we learn about ourselves,” Koch tweeted earlier.

The post on Twitter received over 1,000 retweets and numerous positive responses.

Christina Koch's arrival back to earth. Via; @ajplus





Christina Koch's tweet last year about her experience and time spent in Ghana



Christina Koch was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 2013 after she completed her astronaut candidate training in July 2015.

She then graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Physics and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering.

In June 2013, Koch was selected as one of eight members of the 21st NASA astronaut class. Her Astronaut Candidate Training included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in International Space Station systems, spacewalks, robotics, physiological training, T-38 flight training, and water and wilderness survival training.

She was then assigned to her first space flight, a long-duration mission on the International Space Station, in 2018.