Monday morning’s Blue Origin launch captured the nation’s attention, sending CBS’ Gayle King and recording artist Katy Perry into space as part of a historic all-female flight crew.

However, it was a particularly special moment for those watching at Michigan’s Washtenaw Community College as they cheered on one of their own alumna, Aisha Bowe, who was among the six to make the journey.

After graduating from Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Bowe attended WCC from 2003 to 2005 before transferring to the University of Michigan and landing a job at NASA. Watching Bowe break through the stratosphere is a moment Crystal Lyte says she’ll cherish, especially because she got to share it with her daughter.

“My daughter is very in tune with the community, and she goes with me everywhere, so to be able to share with her something women do, I sat there, and I told her, you can be anything you want. You see these women going to space? You can do that. If you want to be a teacher, a police officer, and an astronaut, whatever she desires, she can do it because it happened today,” Lyte said.

Bowe talked about what it was like to live out her life dream in an interview following a successful landing.

“When we got up there, and we got out of our seats, we just looked at each other, and there was this moment—I can’t wait for people to see it on the video—there was a very special moment between all of us, and it was beautiful. Just so beautiful,” Bowe told reporters after returning.

She wasn’t alone in representing Washtenaw Community College or the University of Michigan. Launch vehicle test engineer Nathan Perry, who perfected the cabin that took Bowe and the rest of the crew to space, attended WCC from 2018 to 2020. He transferred to U of M and earned an aerospace engineering degree in 2024.

“Just sitting there and watching it take place, just knowing this is what Washtenaw Community College produces. I had like little tears on the side of my eye,” Lyte said.

Additionally, Bowe’s crewmate Kerianne Flynn traces her roots back to the mitten with her hometown in Sterling Heights.

• Community
• Ann Arbor
• Blue Origin
• Space
• Washtenaw County

Jack Springgate

Jack Springgate joins the CBS News Detroit team after working for nearly seven years as a news reporter and anchor in South Bend, Ind., and Minot, North Dakota.