Astronaut and U.S. Air Force Maj. Nichole Ayers speaks to family and friends as her fellow crewmates prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., to board the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for the Crew-10 mission launch, March 14, 2025. Ayers piloted the crew’s spacecraft when it launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from the space center on the same day at 7:03 p.m. EDT.

Ayers has flown missions across the globe, including more than 200 combat hours in Operation Inherent Resolve over Iraq and Syria and more than 1,400 flight hours in the T-38 Talon and F-22 Raptor. Previously stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Ayers served as the 3rd Wing, 90th Fighter Squadron assistant director of operations before receiving the call to join NASA in 2021. (U.S. Air Force photo courtesy of NASA by Aubrey Gemignani)