Christina Koch

There are a lot of people who derive motivation from inspiring stories from people who look like them, and I think that it's an important aspect of the story to tell.

I'm just so overwhelmed and happy right now.

Oh, how I miss the wind on my face, the feeling of raindrops, sand on my feet and the sound of the surf crashing on the Galveston beach, we take daily sensory inputs for granted until they are absent. The environmental inputs on the space station consist mostly of the constant hum of the ventilation system. It stirs the air, allowing the purification system to scrub and clean our atmosphere so it's breathable. While some places on the space station are as loud as a lawn mower, others are as quiet as the vacuum of space. I can not wait to feel and hear Earth again.

Earth is alive, and I have witnessed its power and beauty from a special vantage point 250 miles above the surface, from the space station we see no borders, no boundaries -- we are all part of one giant organism that breathes and adapts. I have been in awe of this perspective for almost a year now. Back on Earth I anticipate looking up and seeing the space station streak across the sky, wondering how my friends and colleagues are doing up there without me. For almost 20 years humans have continuously lived and worked in space and the mission continues.