Credits: NASA/Robert Markowitz
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA /ˈnæsə/) is an independent agency of
the executive branch of
the United
States federal government responsible
for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.
After receiving a
record-breaking number of applications to join an exciting future of space
exploration, NASA has selected its largest astronaut class since 2000. Rising
to the top of more than 18,300 applicants, NASA chose 12 women and men as the
agency’s new astronaut
candidates.
Vice President Mike
Pence joined NASA leaders Wednesday as they introduced the members of the 2017
astronaut class during an event at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in
Houston. While at Johnson, the vice president toured the International Space
Station mission control center, and the historic mission control center, which
was used during early NASA spaceflights, including the first moon landing
mission, Apollo 11. He also was presented with a model of the International
Space Station and a framed U.S. flag that was flown to and from the
orbiting laboratory this winter.
“These are 12 men and
women whose personal excellence and whose personal courage will carry our
nation to even greater heights of discovery and who I know will inspire our
children and our grandchildren every bit as much as your forebears have done so
in this storied American program,” said Vice President Pence. “And to this
newest class of astronauts, it’s my honor to bring the sincere congratulations
of the 45th President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump.
Your President is proud of you, and so am I.”
The astronaut candidates
will return to Johnson in August to begin two years of training. Then they
could be assigned to any of a variety of missions, including: performing
research on the International
Space Station, launching from American soil on spacecraft built by commercial
companies, and departing for
deep space missions on NASA’s new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket.
“We look forward to the
energy and talent of these astronauts fueling our exciting future of
discovery,” acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot said. “Between expanding
the crew on board the space station to conduct more research than ever before,
and making preparations to send humans farther into space than we’ve ever been,
we are going to keep them busy. These candidates are an important addition to
the NASA family and the nation’s human spaceflight team.”
Applicants included U.S.
citizens in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories
Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa. The talented women and men selected for
the new astronaut class represent the diversity of America and the career paths
that can lead to a place in America’s astronaut corps.
The 2017 astronaut
candidates are:
Kayla Barron,
29, Lt., U.S. Navy, is originally from Richland, Washington. She graduated from
the U.S. Naval Academy with a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering. A Gates
Cambridge Scholar, Barron earned a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from
the University of Cambridge. As a submarine warfare officer, Barron was a
member of the first class of women commissioned into the submarine community.
She’ll come to NASA from the U.S. Naval Academy, where she has been serving as
the flag aide to the superintendent.
Zena Cardman,
29, calls Williamsburg, Virginia, home. She completed a Bachelor of Science in
Biology and Master of Science in Marine Sciences at The University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill. Cardman is currently a National Science Foundation
Graduate Research Fellow working on her doctorate at The Pennsylvania State
University. Her research has focused on microorganisms in subsurface
environments, ranging from caves to deep sea sediments. Her field experience
includes multiple Antarctic expeditions, work aboard research vessels as both
scientist and crew, and NASA analog missions in British Columbia, Idaho and
Hawaii.
Raja Chari,
39, Lt. Col., U.S. Air Force, hails from Waterloo, Iowa. He graduated from the
U.S. Air Force Academy with bachelor’s degrees in astronautical engineering and
engineering science. He continued on to earn a master’s degree in aeronautics
and astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and graduated
from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. Chari has been serving as the commander
of the 461st Flight Test Squadron and the director of the F-35 Integrated Test
Force at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Matthew Dominick,
35, Lt. Cmdr., U.S. Navy, was born and raised in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. He
earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of
San Diego and a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the Naval
Postgraduate School. He also graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.
Dominick was at sea on the USS Ronald Reagan, serving as department head for
Strike Fighter Squadron 115, when he got the call saying he’d been selected as
an astronaut candidate.
Bob Hines,
42, considers Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, his hometown. He graduated from Boston
University with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering. From there, he
went on to graduate from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, and then the
University of Alabama, where he earned a master’s degree in aerospace
engineering. He has served in the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserves for 18
years. For the last five years, Hines has served as a NASA research pilot at
Johnson.
Warren “Woody”
Hoburg, 31, is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He
earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT. He
continued on to earn a doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science
from the University of California, Berkley. He is a private pilot and has
extensive experience with wilderness search and rescue efforts. Hoburg will
come to NASA from MIT, where he currently is leading a research group as an
assistant professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Dr. Jonny Kim,
33, Lt., U.S. Navy, was born and raised in Los Angeles. He enlisted in the U.S.
Navy, then trained and operated as a Navy SEAL, completing more than 100 combat
operations and earning a Silver Star and Bronze Star with Combat V. Afterward,
he went on to complete a degree in mathematics at the University of San Diego
and a doctorate of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Kim is a resident
physician in emergency medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Robb Kulin,
33, hails from Anchorage, Alaska. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical
engineering from the University of Denver before going on to complete a
master’s degree in materials science and a doctorate in engineering at the
University of California, San Diego. He has previous experience as an ice
driller in Antarctica on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and Taylor Glaciers, and
as a commercial fisherman in Chignik, Alaska. Since 2011, Kulin has worked for
SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, where he leads the Launch Chief Engineering
group.
Jasmin Moghbeli,
33, Maj., U.S. Marine Corps, considers Baldwin, New York, her hometown. She
earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering with information technology
at MIT, followed by a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Naval
Postgraduate School. She also is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval
Test Pilot School. Moghbeli currently tests H-1 helicopters and serves as the
quality assurance and avionics officer for Marine Operational Test and Evaluation
Squadron 1 in Yuma, Arizona.
Loral O’Hara,
34, calls Sugar Land, Texas, home. She earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace
engineering at the University of Kansas and a master’s degree in aeronautics
and astronautics from Purdue University. As a student, she participated in
NASA’s KC-135 Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program, the NASA
Academy at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and the internship program
at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. O’Hara is currently a research engineer at
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Dr. Francisco
“Frank” Rubio, 41, Maj., U.S. Army, is originally from Miami. He
earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations at the U.S. Military
Academy at West Point and a doctorate of medicine from the Uniformed Services
University of the Health Sciences. Rubio has accumulated more than 1,100 hours
of flight time in helicopters, including 600 hours of combat and imminent
danger time. He’s currently serving as a surgeon for the 3rd Battalion of the
Army’s 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Carson, Colorado.
Jessica Watkins,
29, hails from Lafayette, Colorado. She graduated from Stanford University with
a bachelor’s degree in geological and environmental sciences, then went on to
earn a doctorate in geology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Watkins has worked at NASA’s Ames Research Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory
and currently is a postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of
Technology, where she collaborates on the Mars Science Laboratory rover,
Curiosity.
With the addition of
these 12 members of the 2017 astronaut candidate class, NASA now has selected
350 astronauts since the original Mercury 7 in 1959.
“These women and men
deserve our enthusiastic congratulations,” said astronaut and Johnson Space
Center Director Ellen Ochoa. “Children all across the United States right now
dream of being in their shoes someday. We here at NASA are excited to welcome
them to the team and look forward to working with them to inspire the next
generation of explorers.”
The astronaut candidates
will be available to talk to media in person at Johnson and by remote satellite
link on June 8. Media interested in this limited opportunity should contact the
Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111.
No comments:
Post a Comment