Former Falcon Nichole (Stilwell) Ayers Set for SpaceX Crew-10 Launch

UPDATE: The March 12 launch was scrubbed 43 minutes before liftoff due to an issue with the ground support hydraulics system. After flushing the system and completing its inspections, NASA and SpaceX are proceeding with plans to launch Crew-10 to the International Space Station at 7:03 p.m. (ET) on March 14. Coverage on NASA+ will begin at 3:00 p.m. (ET).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – Former Air Force volleyball player Nichole (Stilwell) Ayers is scheduled to launch into space this evening (March 12), as the pilot of NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station. The four-person crew is scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, at 7:48 p.m. (ET). A live stream will be available on NASA+, beginning at 3:45 p.m. (ET).

Ayers, a native of Divide, Colo., with the callsign "Vapor", joined the NASA astronaut program in January 2022. An experienced combat aviator, Ayers recorded more than 1400 hours of total flight time in the T-38 (A/B/C/N) and F-22 Raptor – and spent more than 200 combat hours in the F-22 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and Spartan Shield. She has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, the Aerial Achievement Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Operation Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal, and various other unit and service awards.

She graduated from the Academy in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a minor in Russian, before adding a master's degree in computational and applied mathematics from Rice University, where she focused on computational fluid dynamics and, specifically, modeling incompressible fluid flow. As a middle blocker on the Falcons' volleyball team (2007-10), she claimed MVP honors in 2009, a CoSIDA Academic All-District citation in 2008, and was a four-time Mountain West Scholar-Athlete and academic all-conference selection. As a junior, she also became the program's first player in six years to garner a MW Athlete of the Week award. She played in a (then) Air Force Division I record 397 sets and the name Stilwell is still ranked on the program's DI Top 10 in hitting (fifth: .213), total blocks (eight: 245), assisted blocks (ninth: 205) and solo blocks (10th: 40).

Ayers will be joined on SpaceX Crew-10 by fellow NASA astronaut and crew commander Anne McClain (an Army West Point grad and former member of the USA Rugby Women's National Team), as well as mission specialist Takya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.

NASA states that Crew-10, scheduled to be aboard the International Space Station though the Fall of 2025, will conduct material flammability tests for future spacecraft designs, engage with students worldwide via the ISS Ham Radio program and use the program's existing hardware to test a backup lunar navigation solution, and participate in an integrated study to better understand physiological and psychological changes to the human body to provide valuable insights for future deep space missions.

Former Falcon Nichole (Stilwell) Ayers Set for SpaceX Crew-10 Launch

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