WHEREAS, Zena Maria Cardman, a scientist from Williamsburg, was officially distinguished as an astronaut with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration during a ceremony at Johnson Space Center on January 10, 2020; and

WHEREAS, selected out of a record-setting applicant pool of 18,000 people in 2017 for the astronaut candidate program managed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Zena Cardman was part of the 21st class to graduate from the agency's stringent training program, making her one of only 350 people to ever hold the distinction of being a United States astronaut; and

WHEREAS, earning a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's degree in marine sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Zena Cardman has spent the past several years researching microorganisms in subsurface environments like caves and deep sea sediments; and

WHEREAS, with extensive field experience, including several expeditions to Antarctica, research programs aboard marine vessels, and NASA analog missions in British Columbia, Idaho, and Hawaii, Zena Cardman is as ready as any human can be for the extreme environments of outer space; and

WHEREAS, as part of her training to become an astronaut, Zena Cardman received instruction in spacewalking, robotics, the International Space Station's systems, T-38 jet proficiency, and Russian, preparing her to continue NASA's decades-long stewardship of the International Space Station; and

WHEREAS, graduating among the first class of astronauts trained under NASA's Artemis program, which aims to reinvigorate the agency's lunar exploration in the coming years, Zena Cardman has the opportunity to be among the first women to step foot on the Moon; and

WHEREAS, by accomplishing a career feat that many dream of and few achieve, Zena Cardman has demonstrated what can be accomplished through talent, hard work, and dedication, and will serve as a role model for young Virginians for many years to come; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Zena Maria Cardman of Williamsburg for the honor of becoming an astronaut with the National Aeronautical and Space Administration; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Zena Maria Cardman as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for her achievements and best wishes for the future.