UNC alumna, astronaut Zena Cardman could be first woman to walk on Moon

In the 1997 film Contact, based on the book by Carl Sagan, Ellie Arroway played by Jodie Foster comments on her view of the cosmos: "They should have sent a poet." NASA has that chance now in UNC Chapel Hill alumna Zena Cardman.

Born in Urbana, Illinois, Zena Cardman calls Williamsburg, Va. home today. She graduated from UNC in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in biology, honors in poetry and minors in marine science, creative writing, and chemistry. She also earned a master’s degree in marine science from UNC in 2014. She was selected to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate class from more than 18,000 applicants. Her research has focused on microorganisms in subsurface environments, ranging from caves to deep sea sediments. Cardman’s field experience includes multiple Antarctic expeditions, work aboard research vessels as both scientist and crew, and NASA analog missions in British Columbia, Idaho and Hawaii.

"Science for me is very much about exploring our world, our universe and figuring out how things work and what our place is here. And also writing is about exploring our world and our universe and our place in it. So I think it's really approaching the same questions just from slightly different angles." she said.

The first class of astronaut candidates under the Artemis program will graduate Friday at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Ceremonies will be broadcast live on NASA TV. After completing more than two years of basic training, these candidates will become eligible for spaceflight, including assignments to the International Space Station (ISS), Artemis missions to the Moon and ultimately, missions to Mars. Cardman and her 10 NASA and 2 Canadian Space Agency classmates join the corps of 38 active astronauts continuing their training, driving development of the Artemis program and the day-to-day operation of the ISS in orbit and on the ground.

Among those active astronauts is NC State alumna Christina Koch, currently in her 10th month aboard the ISS and just days away from setting the record for the longest continuous stay in space by a woman. Koch is scheduled to return in February 2020.

​​​​​​​

Cardman returned to UNC in November with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. She shared her journey from conducting research as an undergraduate and graduate student to training for future space missions.

“I’m Zena Cardman. I am a NASA astronaut. I am also a Tar Heel," she told the audience.

She could also be the first woman to walk on the Moon.