- In full:
- Jessica Ulrika Meir
Jessica Meir
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Who is Jessica Meir?
Jessica Meir (born in Caribou, Maine, July 1, 1977) is an American astronaut and scientist who was selected in 2020 as one of the 18 astronauts for the Artemis program, the first U.S. space program since 1972 that will send astronauts to the Moon. This program intends to land the first woman on the moon, and that woman may be Meir.
Meir has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Brown University (1999), a master’s degree in space studies from the International Space University, Strasbourg, France (2000), and a doctorate in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego (2009). From September 2019 to April 2020, Meir served as flight engineer on the ISS. In October 2019, Meir and fellow astronaut Christina Koch made history with the first all-woman spacewalk.
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What does it mean to be an astronaut?
To be an astronaut means working in a high-stress environment, conducting experiments, and maintaining equipment while in space. Astronauts face challenges such as space sickness, muscle atrophy, bone density loss, and exposure to high levels of radiation.
Jessica Meir, an American astronaut and scientist selected for the Artemis program in 2020, could potentially be the first woman to walk on the Moon. Before becoming an astronaut in 2013, Meir studied the impact of extreme environments on animal physiology. From September 2019 to April 2020, Meir served as a flight engineer on the International Space Station (ISS) and spent 205 days in orbit. In October 2019, Meir participated in the first all-woman spacewalk with fellow astronaut Christina Koch.
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Which space agency did Jessica Meir work for?
Jessica Meir is an American astronaut and scientist who works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She was selected as one of eight members of NASA’s astronaut class in June 2013.
Meir served as a flight engineer on the International Space Station (ISS) from September 2019 to April 2020, launching aboard Soyuz MS-15 with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and Emirati astronaut Hazzaa al-Mansoori. In October 2019, Meir and fellow astronaut Christina Koch conducted the first all-woman spacewalk to replace a battery unit.
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What important space mission did Jessica Meir participate in?
Jessica Meir served as a flight engineer on the International Space Station (ISS) from September 2019 to April 2020. She launched to the ISS aboard Soyuz MS-15 with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and Emirati astronaut Hazzaa al-Mansoori.
During her time on the ISS, Meir and fellow astronaut Christina Koch made history on October 18, 2019, by completing the first all-woman spacewalk. They spent over seven hours working outside the ISS to replace a power unit and went on to complete two more spacewalks together during the expedition, totaling almost 22 hours outside the ISS.
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What scientific research did Jessica Meir do aboard the International Space Station?
During her time on the International Space Station (ISS) from September 2019 to April 2020, Jessica Meir served as a flight engineer and contributed to over 150 experiments. In October 2019, Meir and fellow astronaut Christina Koch conducted the first all-woman spacewalk to replace a power unit. They completed two more spacewalks during their expedition, spending almost 22 hours outside the ISS. Meir spent 205 days in orbit.
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How did Jessica Meir's work contribute to space exploration and science?
Jessica Meir is an American astronaut and scientist chosen for the Artemis program, the first U.S. space program since 1972 to send astronauts to the Moon. This program intends to establish a sustainable presence on the Moon and other planets and seeks to land the first woman on the Moon, which may be Meir.
Meir served as a flight engineer on the ISS from September 2019 to April 2020 and contributed to over 150 experiments during her time in space. In October 2019, Meir and Christina Koch performed the first all-woman spacewalk to replace a battery unit and spent almost 22 hours outside the ISS. Before becoming an astronaut in 2013, she researched the physiology of deep-diving animals and extreme environments.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Jessica Meir (born July 1, 1977, Caribou, Maine, U.S.) is an American astronaut and scientist. In 2020, Meir was chosen to be one of the 18 astronauts in the Artemis program. Artemis is the first U.S. space program since 1972 that will send astronauts to the Moon. This means Meir could become the first woman to set foot on the surface of the Moon. She has spent more than 200 days in space, where she contributed to more than 150 experiments.
Meir’s parents were immigrants from Sweden and Israel. She was a curious child and enjoyed the sciences and the outdoors. As she told Encyclopædia Britannica in a 2021 interview:
I had…early interest in science and nature and biology in general, and biology quickly became my favorite subject. Perhaps that’s because I grew up in a small town, one surrounded by lots of trees, where my mom was a key influence in introducing me to the outdoors.… My spirit of exploration really stemmed from this initial curiosity about life around me.
Meir graduated from Caribou High School in Maine in 1995. She attended Brown University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1999. The next year Meir received a master’s degree in space studies from the International Space University, in Strasbourg, France. Meir continued her studies at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. She researched the impact of extreme environments on animal physiology. Meir studied deep-diving animals, such as emperor penguins in Antarctica and elephant seals in northern California, and how they can hold their breath for long periods of time. She earned a doctorate in marine biology from Scripps in 2009.
From 2000 to 2003 Meir worked on research that others had conducted on the space shuttle and on the International Space Station (ISS). She also worked and lived in an underwater habitat for five days for a NASA mission in 2002. Meir taught at Harvard Medical School for two years. She continued her research on animals in extreme environments, particularly the bar-headed goose, which flies through air poor in oxygen when it migrates over the Himalayas.
Meir had long wished to become an astronaut but was rejected for inclusion in the 2009 class. However, she was encouraged to reapply, and she was selected as one of eight members of NASA’s astronaut class in June 2013. She was a part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) 2016 CAVES mission, in which astronauts from the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and ESA explored a cave system in Sardinia. Because caves are isolated places where explorers must rely only on limited equipment, they can simulate some of the challenges of spaceflight.
Meir served as flight engineer on the ISS from September 25, 2019, to April 17, 2020. She launched to the ISS aboard Soyuz MS-15 with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and Emirati astronaut Hazzaa al-Mansoori. In October 2019 Meir and fellow astronaut Christina Koch went outside the ISS to replace a battery unit. It was the first all-woman space walk. They took two more space walks during the expedition. Altogether they spent almost 22 hours outside the ISS. Meir spent 205 days in orbit. Because the human immune system is weakened by long spaceflight and Soyuz MS-15 was the first spaceflight to return to Earth during the coronavirus pandemic, Meir underwent an extended quarantine upon landing.
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Meir returned to the ISS as commander of the SpaceX Crew-12 mission on February 13, 2026. She launched into space with American astronaut Jack Hathaway, French astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrei Fedyayev. She made one spacewalk with American astronaut Christopher Williams in March 2026. She and the other Crew-12 astronauts are scheduled to return to Earth in September 2026.