After launching the International Space Station on October 5, Nicole Aunapu Mann made history as the first Native American woman to travel to space. Who is Nicole Mann? Mann, 45, is an American test pilot and NASA astronaut in California. After graduating from Stanford University, she received her masters in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. She is registered with the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes.  Not only has she broken records as the first Native American woman to travel to space, but as NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission commander,