“I love realistic space movies … I’m definitely a nerd,” reads Chris Birch’s answer on her profile page. That response proved prescient: shortly after stepping away from her professional cycling career, the Arizona native was selected from more than 12,000 applicants to join NASA’s astronaut class of 2021. The further she progressed with her application to join NASA, the more convinced she became that she had a future in spaceflight. “I really just had a blast,” Birch tells CNN Sport. “I absolutely would love to explore off this planet,” says Birch.

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Persons: Christopher Nolan’s, “, Chris Birch’s, sidesteps, Birch, ” It’s, keener, Artemis, Luis Acosta, ”, I’m, ” Birch, that’s, she’s, There’s, “ I’m, I’ll Organizations: CNN, USA Cycling, NASA, CNN Sport, Space, Soyuz, Houston’s, Space Center, Getty, Tokyo, Games, Colorado –, Houston Marathon Locations: Arizona, madison, Peru, AFP, Leadville, Colorado, Montana, California