FORT HALL, Idaho — John B. Herrington, the first member of a federally recognized Native American tribe to travel to space, visited the Shoshone-Bannock Hotel and Event Center on Wednesday, spending time with local students and sharing the story of his journey from childhood dreams to orbit.
Herrington, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor in November 2002 on a mission to the International Space Station that lasted 13 days and 18 hours. During that mission, he completed three spacewalks totaling roughly 20 hours, contributing to the assembly of a major structural component on the left side of the station.
“I went to the space station. I did three spacewalks and helped assemble the first truss on the left side of the space station,” Herrington said during Wednesday’s event.
A Historic Mission Rooted in Humble Beginnings
Herrington graduated from Aviation Officer Candidate School in 1984 and was selected for NASA’s Astronaut Corps in April 1996. His spaceflight marked a historic milestone — he is recognized as the first citizen of a federally recognized tribal nation to serve as a NASA astronaut and fly in space.
Despite the achievement, Herrington kept his remarks grounded in relatable terms for the young audience. He recalled imagining space travel as a child while sitting in a cardboard box pretending to reach the moon — a dream that ultimately took a different but no less remarkable shape.
“I used to sit in a cardboard box and dream I was going to the moon,” Herrington said. “I didn’t go to the moon. I was really envious of the people that just went to the moon. But I was very fortunate I got to do something I dreamed about as a kid.”
Students React: ‘Anybody Could Really Do Anything’
For the Shoshone-Bannock students who attended the event, the face-to-face encounter with a Native American astronaut carried weight beyond the science itself. Many said seeing someone from a tribal background reach such heights changed how they viewed their own futures.
Thirteen-year-old Chloe Thomas said Herrington’s visit gave her a sense of possibility she hadn’t encountered before. “It inspired me to know that like other natives can get that high up with their careers,” she said.
Fellow student Taetyn Taggart, also 13, said the visit made her consider astronaut as a personal goal. “I probably will want to be an astronaut as well, to prove, like, anybody could really do anything — especially natives,” she said.
Herrington’s message to students centered on self-belief and the value of seeking out mentors — particularly those who share a similar background. He encouraged young people with ambitions in any field, from engineering to law, to seek direct conversations with people already working in those areas.
“Believe in yourself. If there’s something you want to do, talk to somebody doing it,” Herrington said. “Make identification with people that you admire, that you understand. Maybe it’s a path you can go down some point in time.”
What Comes Next
Herrington’s visit to the Fort Hall reservation is the kind of community engagement that can leave a lasting impression on the next generation of students in East Idaho and across tribal communities statewide. Whether any of Wednesday’s attendees ultimately pursue careers in aerospace remains to be seen, but school and community leaders hope events like this plant seeds of ambition that grow over time. No further public appearances by Herrington in the region have been announced.
For other stories of community pride and resilience in the Idaho Falls area, read about the local elementary school rallying around a fourth grader battling aggressive brain cancer, and the recent National Peace Officer Memorial Day ceremony hosted in Idaho Falls.