Former USA Women's National Team player Anne McClain is still up in space as 2018 draws to a close.
Singled out for her enormous work ethic and productivity in a recent article on Space.com, McClain has credited rugby for helping her achieve her dream of being an astronaut and succeeding once she got there.
The Exp 58 crew will spend the holidays orbiting Earth 50 years after humans orbited the moon and spent Christmas in space for the first time, https://t.co/rFZAiLB3oZ pic.twitter.com/3U9l6XB79w
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) December 21, 2018
"Rugby has surprisingly helped me a lot as an astronaut, and when I'm training in the space suit ... and we're working in our large pool, the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, underwater, we're under there for 6 hours at a time," she said in a NASA video released this fall.
But she's also cool enough to dress like a Christmas elf, even on the International Space Station.
Talk about a special mission! It’s their first spaceflight, but @AstroAnnimal & @Astro_DavidS are helping Santa plot his Christmas Eve route! Santa even sent one of his elves to check on the astronauts & ensure they’re not doing things like sneaking Christmas cookies too early… pic.twitter.com/vledubFYet
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) December 21, 2018
And give a shout out to West Point (albeit in football, not rugby ... We'll see what she has to say this spring season).
Excited to watch the #ArmyNavyGame from @Space_Station today! Let’s get that win, @ArmyWP_Football! #ArmyInSpace #GoArmy #BeatNavy pic.twitter.com/HLLMvbeVfl
— Anne McClain (@AstroAnnimal) December 8, 2018