---
title: "NASA Leader: First Human on Mars “Likely to Be” a Woman"
description: "NASA has big plans for its female astronauts — according to administrator Jim Bridenstine, the first person to reach Mars will \"likely\" be a woman."
date: "2019-03-12"
modified: "2019-03-12"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin Houser"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/kristin"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-first-human-mars-woman"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Mars"
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "mars"
  - "moon"
  - "NASA"
  - "the digest"
---

# NASA Leader: First Human on Mars “Likely to Be” a Woman

![NASA has big plans for its female astronauts — according to administrator Jim Bridenstine, the first person to reach Mars will "likely" be a woman.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/nasa-first-human-mars-woman.png>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Women Are From Mars

NASA sees women playing a major role in the future of space exploration.

During a [recent appearance](<https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/nasa-to-the-moon-and-definitely-beyond/>) on a science and tech radio show, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine asserted that the next person on the Moon is "likely to be a women."

And that's not all. According to Bridenstine, "It's also true that the first person on Mars is likely to be a woman" — though it's not yet clear why he thinks that might be given that fewer than a third of NASA's [active astronauts](<https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/active>) are female.

## But Why?

Bridenstine made the comments in response to a tweeted question sent during his interview with Ira Flatow on Public Radio International's "[Science Friday](<https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/nasa-to-the-moon-and-definitely-beyond/>)."

Unfortunately, Flatow told Bridenstine he only had 30 seconds for an answer, so he didn't elaborate on why NASA might be more likely to send a woman than a man to the Moon and Mars.

## The Future Is Female

He did, however, manage to reference [another upcoming milestone](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-worlds-first-all-female-spacewalk>) for woman astronauts — "We have the first all-female spacewalk happening this month at the end of March, which is of course, National Women’s Month" — and also note that "NASA is committed to making sure that we have a broad and diverse set of talent."

Perhaps he'll elaborate on NASA's reasoning for sending a woman to Mars before a man in a future interview.

**READ MORE:** [NASA: To the Moon (and Definitely Beyond)](<https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/nasa-to-the-moon-and-definitely-beyond/>) \["Science Friday"\]

**More on female astronauts:** *[NASA Announces World’s First All-Female Spacewalk](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-worlds-first-all-female-spacewalk>)*

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinjhouser>)