WA native, astronaut talks to FOX 13 from ISS

Living on the International Space Station with NASA Astronaut Anne McClain

NASA astronaut Anne McClain, shares her experiences and insights from aboard the International Space Station. A Spokane native, McClain discusses her journey from Washington State to space, offering a unique perspective on life among the stars.

SEATTLE - As the world awaited the return of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the astronauts stranded on the International Space Station for nine months, the crew heading up to relieve them included Washington native Anne McClain.

McClain, 45, is no stranger to the ISS, having previously arrived on the orbiting space lab in late 2018.

This time around, McClain was tapped to be the commander of the SpaceX Crew-10 mission alongside pilot Nichole Ayers and mission specialists Takuya Onishi and Kirill Peskov.

"There is a heightened level of responsibility to so many people," said McClain. "Living aboard the International Space Station is an international endeavor, and there are so many people all around the world that have put resources and time into making this possible."

Dig deeper:

McClain told FOX 13 that she works with hardware or experiments every day that qualify as someone’s life's work. She said everyone onboard view themselves as stewards of both the station, and the path to becoming an astronaut.

"As I always say, ‘when you get to goals, don’t forget to send the elevator back down for the next people,’" said McClain.

McClain had long dreamed of becoming an astronaut, stating she first told her parents of her plans as a three-year-old. She’d achieve that goal in 2018 during her first mission to the International Space Station – she’d spend 204 days aboard the ISS while completing two spacewalks during that time.

What's next:

Crew-10 is expected to work on more than 200 scientific experiments and tech demonstrations during their six-month stay onboard the ISS. Those experiments will include a number of research experiments aimed at preparing astronauts for exploration beyond low Earth orbit for future missions, including NASA’s future Artemis missions.

A path towards space

McClain was born and raised in Spokane, Washington. She attended West Point and is currently a colonel in the U.S. Army – she was an instructor pilot, with hundreds of hours of combat time before her first space flight.

She called her path a series of big steps, one at a time.

"So many people give up on their own goals before they’re even told they can’t do it," she said. "I think my biggest key to success from Spokane to the International Space Station was never giving up on myself."