Not part of any NASA space mission: Shawna Pandya clarifies
February 10, 2017  15:39
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Canada-based Indian-origin neurosurgeon Shawna Pandya has said that she is not part of any NASA mission and that the possibility of her flying in space hasn't increased or decreased in the last 24 hours. 

Denying reports by several media outlets she will be the third Indian-origin woman to fly in space (after Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams), Dr Shawna -- in a Facebook post on Friday -- clarified a "few misstatements" that have been doing the rounds. 

"There has been no new announcement, flight assignment or selection of missions with respect to my work as a citizen-scientist astronaut with Project Possum (Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere) or The PHEnOM Project (Physiological, Health, and Environmental Observations in Microgravity). I am no more or less likely to fly than any other member of these projects than I was 24 hours ago. I remain, however, a steadfast, committed and dedicated teammate and crew member to the work of both projects," she wrote.

"My work is separate from the work of the Canadian Space Agency and that of NASA, and should not be represented as such. The Canadian Space Agency astronaut selection is ongoing and will be finalized this year; I am not a part of the selection. While I have previously interned at NASA-Johnson Space Center, I have no current affiliation with either organization, and would like to clarify that any reports or articles claiming as such are mistaken."
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