PSC aspirants, do you know who the youngest woman in space is?

Karsen Kitchen, a 21-year-old student from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has made history as the world's youngest woman to fly in space. Kitchen, a communications major with a focus on astronomy, was one of six crew members aboard Blue Origin's spacecraft, founded by Jeff Bezos. The historic mission launched from the West Texas Launch Center at 9:07 a.m. on August 29, with the entire journey, from launch to landing, lasting just over 10 minutes.

Karsen Kitchen's achievement is remarkable, as she is now the youngest woman to cross the Kármán Line, the boundary recognized as the beginning of space. Her journey into space fulfills a lifelong dream inspired by her father, Jim Kitchen, a professor at UNC and an astronaut. Karsen was previously part of Blue Origin's 2022 NS-20 mission.

Karsen shared that she has wanted to be an astronaut since childhood, and reaching space was a life-changing experience. "Seeing Earth from zero gravity gives you a completely different perspective on how fortunate we are," she said.

The Blue Origin mission was the company's eighth human spaceflight and included a diverse group of crew members: University of Florida researcher Rob Ferl, social activist Nicolina Elrick, adventurer Eugene Green, Vanderbilt University cardiologist Elman Jahangir and American-Israeli entrepreneur Ephraim Rabin. Before Karsen, the record for the youngest person in space was held by 18-year-old Dutch student Oliver Daemen.