Anne McClain (born in Spokane, Washington, on June 7, 1979) is an American astronaut with two flights to the International Space Station (ISS). The first was in December 2019, and the second was in March 2025. After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 2002, she flew over 200 combat missions in the Iraq War as a pilot of the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior attack helicopter. In 2013, she became a NASA astronaut after graduating from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. McClain was part of the team chosen in 2020 for the Artemis program, which plans to send astronauts back to the Moon. She returned to the ISS in 2025 as commander of the SpaceX Crew-10 mission.

What is Anne McClain known for?

Anne McClain , born on June 7, 1979, is an American astronaut known for her two flights to the International Space Station (ISS) . Her first mission to the ISS was in December 2018, and the second was in March 2025. During her first spaceflight, she performed two spacewalks with astronaut colleagues. McClain was also chosen in 2020 as one of the astronauts eligible for the Artemis program, which aims to return American astronauts to the Moon. She is also known for having been cleared of accusations of committing a crime in space.

Which NASA missions has Anne McClain worked on?

Anne McClain is an American astronaut who has undertaken multiple missions for NASA . Her first spaceflight was on Soyuz MS-11, which launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on December 3, 2018, with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques. During this mission, she performed two spacewalks. McClain returned to Earth on June 25, 2019, after spending 204 days in space. In 2025, she returned to the ISS as commander of the SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which included three other astronauts: Nicole Ayers, Onishi Takuya, and Kirill Peskov. Additionally, McClain was chosen in 2020 for the team of 18 astronauts eligible to fly on the first missions of the Artemis program, which aims to return American astronauts to the Moon.

What training did Anne McClain need to become an astronaut?

Anne McClain's training to become a NASA astronaut included graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a bachelor’s in mechanical and aeronautical engineering in 2002. She also received a master’s in aerospace engineering from the University of Bath in 2004 and a master’s in international relations from the University of Bristol in 2005. Upon returning to the United States, McClain became a pilot of the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior attack helicopter and flew over 200 combat missions in the Iraq War. In 2013, she graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and then became a NASA astronaut. Because the Soyuz spacecraft is operated solely in Russian, astronauts also have to be proficient in that language.

What did Anne McClain do during her time on the International Space Station?

During her first mission to the International Space Station (ISS) , which launched on December 3, 2018, Anne McClain engaged in multiple activities. She performed two spacewalks, one alongside Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques and another with American astronaut Nick Hague. Originally, she was scheduled for the first all-woman spacewalk with Christina Koch, but it was called off due to the unavailability of two medium-sized spacesuits. McClain spent 204 days in space and returned to Earth on June 25, 2019. She is scheduled to return to the ISS in 2025.

How has Anne McClain inspired others as an astronaut and role model?

Anne McClain is an American astronaut celebrated for her achievements and dedication. A graduate of West Point, she flew over 200 combat missions in the Iraq War as a pilot of the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior attack helicopter. In 2013, she became a NASA astronaut after graduating from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. McClain's career includes two flights to the International Space Station (ISS), with her first launch in December 2018. During her time on the ISS, she performed two spacewalks and was part of the team chosen for the Artemis program in 2020, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon.

Anne McClain

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Anne McClain after her first spaceflight

Anne McClain becomes part of the Artemis program

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In full:: Anne Charlotte McClain

Born:: June 7, 1979, Spokane, Washington, U.S. (age 47)

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Anne McClain

American astronaut

Also known as: Anne Charlotte McClain

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Erik Gregersen

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Who is Anne McClain?
Anne McClain (born in Spokane, Washington, on June 7, 1979) is an American astronaut with two flights to the International Space Station (ISS). The first was in December 2019, and the second was in March 2025. After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 2002, she flew over 200 combat missions in the Iraq War as a pilot of the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior attack helicopter. In 2013, she became a NASA astronaut after graduating from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.

McClain was part of the team chosen in 2020 for the Artemis program, which plans to send astronauts back to the Moon. She returned to the ISS in 2025 as commander of the SpaceX Crew-10 mission.
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1. Anne McClain
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What is Anne McClain known for?
Anne McClain, born on June 7, 1979, is an American astronaut known for her two flights to the International Space Station (ISS). Her first mission to the ISS was in December 2018, and the second was in March 2025. During her first spaceflight, she performed two spacewalks with astronaut colleagues. McClain was also chosen in 2020 as one of the astronauts eligible for the Artemis program, which aims to return American astronauts to the Moon. She is also known for having been cleared of accusations of committing a crime in space.
1 Britannica Source
1. Anne McClain
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Which NASA missions has Anne McClain worked on?
Anne McClain is an American astronaut who has undertaken multiple missions for NASA. Her first spaceflight was on Soyuz MS-11, which launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on December 3, 2018, with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques. During this mission, she performed two spacewalks. McClain returned to Earth on June 25, 2019, after spending 204 days in space. In 2025, she returned to the ISS as commander of the SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which included three other astronauts: Nicole Ayers, Onishi Takuya, and Kirill Peskov. Additionally, McClain was chosen in 2020 for the team of 18 astronauts eligible to fly on the first missions of the Artemis program, which aims to return American astronauts to the Moon.
1 Britannica Source
1. Anne McClain
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What training did Anne McClain need to become an astronaut?
Anne McClain's training to become a NASA astronaut included graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a bachelor’s in mechanical and aeronautical engineering in 2002. She also received a master’s in aerospace engineering from the University of Bath in 2004 and a master’s in international relations from the University of Bristol in 2005.

Upon returning to the United States, McClain became a pilot of the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior attack helicopter and flew over 200 combat missions in the Iraq War. In 2013, she graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and then became a NASA astronaut. Because the Soyuz spacecraft is operated solely in Russian, astronauts also have to be proficient in that language.
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1. Russian language: Top Questions
2. Anne McClain
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What did Anne McClain do during her time on the International Space Station?
During her first mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which launched on December 3, 2018, Anne McClain engaged in multiple activities. She performed two spacewalks, one alongside Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques and another with American astronaut Nick Hague. Originally, she was scheduled for the first all-woman spacewalk with Christina Koch, but it was called off due to the unavailability of two medium-sized spacesuits. McClain spent 204 days in space and returned to Earth on June 25, 2019. She is scheduled to return to the ISS in 2025.
1 Britannica Source
1. Anne McClain
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How has Anne McClain inspired others as an astronaut and role model?
Anne McClain is an American astronaut celebrated for her achievements and dedication. A graduate of West Point, she flew over 200 combat missions in the Iraq War as a pilot of the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior attack helicopter. In 2013, she became a NASA astronaut after graduating from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.

McClain's career includes two flights to the International Space Station (ISS), with her first launch in December 2018. During her time on the ISS, she performed two spacewalks and was part of the team chosen for the Artemis program in 2020, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon.
1 Britannica Source
1. Anne McClain
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Anne McClain (born June 7, 1979, Spokane, Washington, U.S.) is an American astronaut who made two flights to the International Space Station (ISS), the first in December 2019 and the second in March 2025.

McClain graduated in 2002 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, with a bachelor’s in mechanical and aeronautical engineering. She received a Marshall scholarship to study in the United Kingdom and earned a master’s in aerospace engineering from the University of Bath in 2004 and a master’s in international relations from the University of Bristol in 2005.

After McClain’s return to the United States, she became a pilot of the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior attack helicopter. She flew more than 200 combat missions in the Iraq War. In 2013 she graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland, and became a NASA astronaut.

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McClain’s first spaceflight was on Soyuz MS-11, which launched to the ISS on December 3, 2018, with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques. She performed two space walks, one with Saint-Jacques and the other with American astronaut Nick Hague. (She was to have performed the first all-woman space walk with American astronaut Christina Koch, but McClain decided against it for safety reasons because only one medium-size space suit was ready.) McClain returned to Earth on June 25, 2019. She spend 204 days in space.

Prior to McClain’s launch to the ISS, she and her wife, former air force intelligence officer Summer Worden, were in the midst of divorce proceedings. In March 2019 Worden complained to the Federal Trade Commission that McClain had improperly accessed her bank account from the ISS. NASA’s inspector general investigated the complaint, and after McClain’s return to Earth, the case attracted media attention because McClain was the first person accused of committing a crime in space. McClain was cleared, and Worden was indicted in April 2020 on two counts of making false statements to federal authorities. (Worden pleaded guilty in 2025, and was sentenced to three months in prison in 2026.)

McClain was chosen in 2020 for the team of 18 astronauts who will be eligible to fly on the first missions of the Artemis program, which would return American astronauts to the Moon for the first time since 1972. On the Artemis IV mission, scheduled for 2028, two astronauts would land on the lunar surface. Those astronauts, whom NASA has said would be the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, would spend almost a week in the Moon’s south polar region.

McClain returned to the ISS as commander of the SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which carried three other astronauts: Nicole Ayers of the U.S., Onishi Takuya of Japan, and Kirill Peskov of Russia. Crew-10 launched on March 14, 2025, and returned to Earth on August 9 after 147 days in space. Between her two spaceflights, McClain has spent 351 days in orbit..

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Among McClain’s honors are the Distinguished Service Medal and the Bronze Star. She is an avid rugby player and was on the United States national team from 2004 to 2006 and in 2010.

Erik Gregersen

Anne McClain

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