Colorado
‘Can’t wait to make you guys proud’: Colorado Springs woman becomes NASA astronaut
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Colorado Springs native Nichole Ayers has always had dreams of the sky. Now, the stars are in her sights. Ayers graduated as a member of NASA’s newest astronaut class this week.
“As a little kid I had this dream of being an astronaut and, you know, I grew up in the shuttle era, and at an early age I found out you know that people didn’t just ride on the shuttle, they flew it,” Ayers told 11 News after her graduation Tuesday. “Growing up right there in Colorado Springs, you know, the Air Force Academy was right up the street, so I had a pretty good idea… I was really serious little kid who set my goals on getting into the Air Force Academy and trying to be an Air Force pilot very early on in my life.”
Ayers is not just an astronaut, but also an Air Force Major. She graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2011 and since then has spent her fair share of time in the sky. She said her experience at the Academy and in the Air Force has been crucial over the past two years of astronaut training.
“I think that flying is a team sport just as much as going to space is a team sport,” Ayers said. “Working together, mission planning, executing the mission, and the debriefing all together as one cohesive unit is just a ‘plug and play’ for NASA.”
She said excited is an understatement for the feelings regarding she and her team’s investigation, and said she’s looking forward to contributing to NASA’s mission.
“Whether that’s in a ground job and working testing future space vehicles or space suits, or whether that’s getting assigned to a spaceflight mission and training for the mission, you know, I’m just excited to start to give back to NASA,” Ayers said. “They just put a lot of time and effort into us to train us and get us ready, and I can’t wait to start getting back and contributing to human spaceflight.”
Her message to the Colorado Springs community?
“The support from the Colorado community has been huge, and from the Air Force Academy community, and so just thank you… thank you for all the support, can’t wait to make you guys proud.”
Ayers’s full conversation with 11 News Digital Anchor Lauren Watson can be watched at the top of this article.
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UPDATE: SUNDAY 4/19/2026 7:12 p.m.
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Northbound Powers Boulevards is back open at Palmer Park Boulevard, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD). However, the center and right northbound lanes as well as the right turn lane remain closed south of Constitution Avenue. Law enforcement asked the community to avoid the area if possible, and drive carefully.
ORIGINAL STORY: CSPD: Major crash closes northbound Powers
The northbound lanes of Powers Boulevard are closed at Palmer Park Boulevard for a major crash at Powers and Constitution as of 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 19, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD). Drivers are asked to avoid the area.
According to FOX21 News crew who spoke to an officer at the scene, the crash involved at least two cars and two motorcycles, and multiple people have been taken to the hospital.
Multiple agencies are responding, according to the FOX21 News crew, and the Major Crash Unit may be called in. Reports indicate that no one has died as of 5:30 p.m.
Former Colorado Buffaloes stars Sebastian Rancik and Bangot Dak announced their transfer portal decisions on Sunday with Rancik committing to Florida State and Dak committing to Vanderbilt, per On3’s Joe Tipton. They join former Buffs guard Isaiah Johnson (now at Texas) as the third former Colorado player to leave the Big 12 conference as Rancik opts for the ACC and Dak heads to the SEC.
The trio of Johnson, Rancik, and Dak make up three of Colorado’s four most productive players with rising senior guard Barrington Hargress, and the Buffs are now tasked with replacing such production with Hargress as the only returner.
Rancik’s season ended prematurely with an injury, but he averaged 12.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Buffs. Dak was Colorado’s leading rebounder with 6.5 boards per game, scoring 11.5 points per contest as well.
While each player has his respective reasons for transferring, the most expected ones are for seeking better NIL deals or more development on a better team in a better league. The Buffs finished 12th in the Big 12, and the allure of the SEC was too strong for the program to hold onto key talent like Johnson and Dak.
Still, Colorado coach Tad Boyle proved his ability to recruit and build up a solid core, one that saw its headliners of Johnson, Dak, and Rancik all depart in the portal. Can he do it again?
Colorado Buffaloes Roster Outlook
Boyle and the Buffaloes did retain Hargress as well as three freshmen guards: Jalin Holland, Ian Inman, and Josiah Sanders.
As a freshman, Holland averaged 4.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game as one of Colorado’s key pieces coming off of the bench. Meanwhile, Sanders appeared in 33 games as a constant presence in the Buffs backcourt, averaging 4.4 points and 1.7 assists per game.
Inman played the fewest minutes of the returning trio, but he flashed with a couple of double-digit scoring performances as a true freshman.
“When I think of those three together, I think of toughness. I think of the improvement they made over the course of the season and the togetherness they have. They’re great friends and have formed a bond during their freshman year. Their toughness, energy and work ethic, when you have those attributes to go along with talent, which they all have, you get a chance to have three really good sophomores next year that will take the next step,” Boyle said in a release announcing the return of the three freshmen.
With eight outgoing transfers to replace, the Buffaloes will certainly have a new look to them for the 2026-27 season.
Colorado has landed one transfer portal prospect so far in former North Dakota State foward Noah Feddersen. On the recruiting trail, Boyle and company are bringing in four-star forward Rider Portela as well as two prospects from the NBL in Australia: forward Goc Malual and guard Alex Dickeson.
The transfer portal for men’s college basketball closes on Tuesday, April 21, meaning players have to enter their names by then. Transfer athletes do not have to commit before the portal closes, though, so Colorado is expected to continue hosting prospects on visits while building out the roster.
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