This article appears in the December edition of USA Lacrosse Magazine. Join our momentum.

Audrey Powers can’t believe that this, of all reasons, is how she ends up in USA Lacrosse Magazine.

Powers became a part of history Oct. 13 as the 71st woman to travel to space. The vice president of mission and flight operations for Blue Origin, she joined William Shatner on the New Shepard spacecraft for its 18th suborbital flight.

Powers, 45, graduated from Purdue University aka “the cradle of astronauts” in 1999 with a degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. She always wanted to work for NASA, a dream job she got right out of college while helping to build the International Space Station.

Still, Powers wonders what might have happened had she played Division I lacrosse at Maryland or Princeton, two schools that recruited the goalie out of Mount de Sales (Md.). Her circuitous path to space included launching government satellites for Lockheed Martin and getting a law degree before she latched onto Blue Origin — and got her name added to the NS-18 flight manifest.

What is a suborbital flight?

We all have the idea of the space shuttle launching and the astronauts being up there orbiting Earth for 10 days. And then we have the space station that’s up there, orbiting the earth, and people will be up there for months or years. What we’re seeing now is a collection of companies reverting to suborbital spaceflight, which is the origin of the Mercury program with NASA — the very first spaceflight they did with Alan Shepard. We’re in microgravity for five minutes, then we come back down and land on our parachutes in the desert. It’s really an opportunity for people who want to experience space but aren’t invested in long-term spaceflight.

How did you get a seat on New Shepard 18?

We knew we were flying four astronauts on this flight. We had three identified. My very good friend who oversees the astronaut customer program came to me and said, “Jeff wants to offer you this.” Jeff Bezos, our founder, wanted to offer me this seat to represent the program that I’ve supported for so long. I was absolutely stunned. I’m the first employee to fly, representing everybody.

What does it feel like to fly in space?

When that engine starts and you’re sitting on the pad, it lights up the whole capsule orange, reflecting the fire that’s coming out from beneath you. We got to space quickly. The main engine cut off and then the capsule separated from the booster. Suddenly, you’re floating in zero gravity. And the view — you just see this layer of clouds. And then you see the blue line of the atmosphere. And then it’s just black. Something William Shatner talked about when we landed was the contrast between the black around you and this beautiful white and blue Earth beneath you. I hope I never forget those vivid colors.

So, William Shatner — was that a moment for you? Did you grow up a “Star Trek” fan?

I’m certain now that I’ve had a view into his life that I was no Trekkie compared to some of the people that are out there. I was a fan for sure. He’s so thoughtful about this experience. He had wanted to fly to space for some time. He was so emotional and affected by it. I can’t believe he’s 90. I hope I’m doing that well when I’m 70. He’s a great human.

Only 71 women have traveled to space. Are you proud to be one of them?

I’ve seen a lot of changes in the industry since 1999, when it was a very male-dominated environment. When I graduated from Purdue, there were four women in my aerospace engineering graduating class. In this new era of space companies, Blue Origin included, we’re going back to elementary schools and high schools to get young girls interested in math, science or technology. I remember some of the professional astronauts that were women from when I was a young kid — Sally Ride and Eileen Collins — and having the privilege of meeting them as I grew up. These people were my heroes, and now some of them are tweeting to me appreciating what I’ve done in this new era of spaceflight. Just remarkable.

Which of your heroes have you met in person?

On our first flight of New Shepard, we flew a woman named Wally Funk. She was 82. An absolute aviation hero. Tens of thousands of hours in all kinds of aircraft. She was one of the original Mercury 13, which was NASA’s selection of potential female astronauts, none of whom ever flew in space. They were selected along with John Glenn and the early Apollo astronauts. NASA never flew them because they thought women weren’t fit to fly. I was very lucky to spend time with her during that flight, but she was also very close with Eileen Collins, who was a shuttle commander. She was complimenting me on this program and flying Wally and I was like, “But you’re my hero. How can you be impressed with what I’m doing?”

What about your lacrosse experience helped set you up for success in your professional life?

My closest friends, I met on lacrosse fields. Some of the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced were on lacrosse fields. The coaches I had in high school teaching me discipline, dedication and commitment to a team — those things are foundational to who I am. Everybody should have the experience of playing a team sport. It makes you understand what it is to have someone else depend on you and for you to depend on someone else.