On November 11, the first tribally registered Native American astronaut will lift off into space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for the 16th American assembly flight to the International Space Station.
JOHN HERRINGTON: First Native American to Walk in Space

On November 11, the first tribally registered Native American astronaut will lift off into space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for the 16th American assembly flight to the International Space Station.

During the mission, Astronaut John Bennett Herrington (Cmdr., USN), a member of the Chickasaw Nation, will become the first Native American to walk in space.

Serving as Endeavour’s flight engineer for launch and landing, Herrington will be one of two astronauts conducting three spacewalks to install a 45-foot, 14-ton girder-like structure, called the Port 1 to the Station. Once the remainder of the truss is complete, the structure will span more than 300 feet to carry power, data and temperature control to the electronic outpost of the Station.

Herrington along with crewmembers--Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, and Mission Specialist Michael Lopez-Alegria, will deliver the Expedition Six Crew to the Station and return the Expedition Five Crew to the Earth, which is the primary objective of the mission. The Expedition Five crew will be returning home after five months in orbit.

Lopez-Alegria, a native of Spain, will accompany Herrington during the spacewalks and will wear a spacesuit bearing red stripes. Herrington will wear a spacesuit bearing no markings.

To honor his Native American heritage, Herrington will carry a flag of the Chickasaw Nation with him into space. Herrington’s maternal great-grandmother was of Chickasaw descent. Members of the Chickasaw Nation and Elders from other tribes will be on hand to witness this historic launch.

Endeavour will launch between midnight and 4 a.m. EST from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. A precise launch time will be announced about 24 hours before liftoff.

Selected by NASA in April 1996, Herrington has logged over 3,300 flight hours in over 30 different types of aircraft. He is an experienced Naval Aviator and Naval Test Pilot. Following his tour as a test pilot, Herrington attended the US Naval Postgraduate School where he earned a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering. He is also a Sequoyah Fellow with the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.

Find out more information on the STS-113 mission and be sure to visit the image gallery. Check out Herrington's biography and photo.