June 24, 2018
NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps, who was slated to be the first African-American spacefarer to serve as a long-term crew member on the International Space Station until she was pulled from the roster in January, is still waiting on an explanation of why.
Black Astronaut Jeanette Epps Still Doesnt Know Why NASA Cancelled Her Historic Mission This Year
Epps, who holds a Ph.D in aerospace engineering and previously worked with Ford Motors and the CIA, first qualified as an astronaut candidate in 2009 and has been training for space ever since. According to the Houston Chronicle, Epps recently told reporter Megan Gannon at the Tech Open Air Festival that she believed NASA, not an official with Russia’s Roscosmos space agency, made the call to pull her off the June 6th mission. But whoever changed the roster has decided she is best left in the dark about why, the Chronicle wrote:
“I don’t know where the decision came from and how it was made, in detail or at what level ... I seriously do not believe it was the Russians, partly because I had been through the training with them and I was able to develop good working relationships with everyone there,” Epps said. “There were Russians, several of them, who defended me in the sense that its not safe to really remove someone from a crew that has trained together for years.”

Epps’ replacement, astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor, launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan this month alongside crew from Roscosmos and the European Space Agency.
Per Space.com, Epps also said that she is sure she did not fail to qualify as a result of health or family reasons, and that “everything was completed” with respect to her qualifications. She also expressed her worry that because NASA currently leases human transport to the ISS on Russian Soyuz aircraft at exorbitant prices, a relationship expected to end before Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner or SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule will likely be ready, her extensive cross-training with the Russians to operate the Soyuz could go to waste.
NASA never publicly explained the situation, referring to the astronaut selection process as “personnel matters for which NASA doesn’t provide information,” per the Verge. It gave the same explanation to the Chronicle this week.
During the interview, Epps distanced herself from the widespread speculation that racism or sexism could have played a role in her removal from the mission, Space.com wrote:
“There’s no time to really be concerned about sexism and racism and things like that, because we have to perform,” Epps said. “And if it comes into play, then you’re hindering the mission, and you’re hindering the performance. And so whether or not it is a factor, I can’t speculate what people are thinking and doing unless I have a little bit more information.”

As the Washington Post noted, though some including her brother Henry Epps believed bigotry was behind the decision, “last-minute crew changes are not unusual at NASA.”
Though there have been 14 black astronauts including three women, Epps would have been the first to stay on the ISS for a lengthy period of time.
“There have been three African-Americans who have visited ISS, but they haven’t done the long-duration mission that I am undertaking,” Epps told the Cut last year. “I’ll be the one spending the longest time on the ISS. As a steward, I want to do well with this honor.”
Space.com added that in the meantime, Epps has been spending her time working on NASA’s Orion program and CAPCOM, which helps coordinate the activities of astronauts on missions and Mission Control at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Related Stories
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Millie Bobby Brown & Jake Bongiovi Celebrate “Three Years of Bliss” Ahead of Wedding
March 24, 2024
C4Ehegcq1-A
Kate Middleton & Prince William "Enormously Touched" by Public Support
March 24, 2024
s8fig-RCjFc
Gisele Bündchen Denies Cheating on Ex-Husband Tom Brady
March 23, 2024
_SpRMagA8BM
Eminem, 50 Cent & Snoop Dogg Present Dr. Dre with a Star on the Walk of Fame
March 19, 2024
4bNLs1hxVp8
Opening Remarks for the Variety Summit October 20th, 2023 Jay Penske
March 18, 2024
c6Z707iLq8E
'Everybody Was S----ing Their Pants': Nick Thune Jokes About Being Born in the '70s and Fatherhood
March 16, 2024
mm7Baf6o2d8
Gunna Says Tour Will Up Creativity in Rap, Endorses Flo Milli | TMZ
March 22, 2024
QfMU24fw-Qo
Reporter Taylor Lorenz Says Palace Botched Kate Cancer News Rollout | TMZ Live
March 22, 2024
o43ZucdiyEo
Riley Strain's Body Found After Going Missing in Nashville 2 Weeks Ago | TMZ NOW
March 22, 2024
1m1zM-4_Cs8
Kyle Richards hasn’t spoken to co-star Dorit Kemsley, denies sending her a ‘manipulative’ text
March 24, 2024
LqLZzDP1hm4
Jordan Emanuel on her connection to 'RHOSLC' star Meredith Marks, advice from Amanda Batula
March 24, 2024
5NPAwlOov1Y
Kate Middleton’s uncle Gary apologizes after slamming ‘fickle’ Meghan Markle in scathing interview
March 24, 2024
JWG9kitALZk
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
20
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
SK Brann W - Barcelona W
20
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Hacken W - PSG W
19
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
SL Benfica W - Lyon W
19
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Ajax W - Chelsea W
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Brighton - Manchester City
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
11
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Chelsea - Newcastle United
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Liverpool - Manchester City
10
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Real Madrid - Celta Vigo
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Aston Villa - Tottenham Hotspur
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Atalanta
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Fiorentina - Roma
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
AC Milan - Empoli
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.