Katrin Fidencio.

San Diego, USA

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Astronaut and marine biologist Jessica Meir has both American and Swedish citizenship. This summer she will come to Sweden to give a lecture around the country for five days. On June 23, she will visit Västerås.

Västerås is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland.

Meir became the first Swedish woman in space when she traveled to the International Space Station in September 2019 in orbit around the earth. She stayed there for 205 days.

– It is a great honor to receive Jessica Meir in Sweden. As the first Swedish woman in space, she has made an important contribution to space research and science, says Anna Rathsman, Director General of the Swedish Space Agency.

The Swedish-American astronaut’s mother has her origins in Västerås.

Aiming at the moon:

Jessica Meir is one of 18 astronauts who have now been selected for the American lunar program Artemis. Its goal is to put the next man and the first woman on the moon. The last time an astronaut went to the moon was during the Apollo program in 1972.

– The fact that she has been selected for the Artemis program, with a view to the moon, makes the visit extra interesting considering her future as an astronaut, says Anna Rathsman.

In addition to Västerås, she also visits Gothenburg, Helsingborg, Umeå and Stockholm.

She will address the newest crop of UCSD graduates June 11 at the university’s RIMAC Field.

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