Nichole Ayers

Nichole "Vapor" Ayers, born in 1988 or 1989, is a NASA astronaut and a Major in the U.S. Air Force. A Colorado native, she graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and earned a master’s degree in computational and applied mathematics from Rice University. As an instructor in both the T-38A and F-22 Raptor, Ayers has flown missions all over the nation and the world. She launched as pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission on March 14, 2025, to conduct research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities aboard the microgravity laboratory.