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New Artemis Generation Astronauts to Graduate, NASA Sets Coverage


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NASA’s astronaut candidate class is pictured at an event near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Dec. 7, 2021.

NASA will honor the next generation of Artemis astronaut candidates to graduate at 10:30 a.m. EST Tuesday, March 5, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

After completing more than two years of basic training, these candidates will earn their wings and become eligible for spaceflight, including assignments to the International Space Station, future commercial destinations, missions to the Moon, and eventually, missions to Mars.

The 2021 class includes 10 NASA candidates, as well as two United Arab Emirates (UAE) candidates from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center who have been training alongside the NASA candidates.

After the ceremony, at 11:45 a.m., NASA will host a Q&A session with students and media in the audience. Those following the session on social media may ask questions using #AskNASA. The new graduates also will be available for in-person and remote media interviews.

Both the ceremony and Q&A session will stream live on NASA+, NASA Television, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

International media must request credentials to participate in person by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, from the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. U.S. media wishing to participate in person must request credentials no later than 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29, to the Johnson newsroom. All media seeking an in-person or remote interview with the astronauts must request credentials by 5 p.m. Feb. 29, from the Johnson newsroom.

NASA’s astronaut candidates are:

Nichole Ayers, major, U.S. Air Force, is a native of Colorado who graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a minor in Russian. She later earned a master’s degree in Computational and Applied Mathematics from Rice University in Houston. Ayers has more than 200 combat hours and more than 1,400 hours of total flight time in the T-38 and the F-22 Raptor fighter jet. One of the few women to have flown the F-22, in 2019 Ayers led the first ever all-woman formation of the aircraft in combat.

Marcos Berríos, major, U.S. Air Force, grew up in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Berríos worked as an aerospace engineer for the U.S. Army Aviation Development Directorate at Moffett Federal Airfield in California and as a combat search and rescue helicopter pilot for the California Air National Guard. He is a test pilot who holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering as well as a doctorate in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. Berríos has accumulated more than 110 combat missions and 1,400 hours of flight time in more than 21 different aircraft.

Chris (Christina) Birch grew up in Gilbert, Arizona, and graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson, with degrees in Mathematics and Biochemistry and Molecular biophysics. After earning a doctorate in biological engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she taught bioengineering at the University of California in Riverside, and scientific writing and communication at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. She subsequently left academia to become a track cyclist on the U.S. National Team.

Deniz Burnham calls Wasilla, Alaska, home. A former intern at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of California in San Diego, and a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Burnham is an experienced leader in the energy industry, having managed drilling projects on oil rigs for over a decade, including the Arctic in Alaska, Northern Alberta in Canada, and Texas. Burnham served in the U.S. Navy Reserves as an engineering duty officer. She is a licensed private pilot with the following ratings: airplane single engine land and sea, instrument airplane, and rotorcraft-helicopter.

Luke Delaney, major, retired, U.S. Marine Corps, grew up in Debary, Florida. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of North Florida in Jacksonville, and a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Delaney is a naval aviator who participated in exercises throughout the Asia Pacific region and conducted combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. As a test pilot, he executed flights evaluating weapon systems integration, and he served as an instructor. Delaney most recently worked as a research pilot at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, where he supported airborne science missions. Including his NASA career, Delaney has logged more than 3,900 flight hours on 48 models of jet, propeller, and rotary wing aircraft.

Andre Douglas is a Virginia native. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, a master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and a doctorate in Systems Engineering from the George Washington University in Washington. Douglas served in the U.S. Coast Guard as a naval architect, salvage engineer, damage control assistant, and officer of the deck. He most recently was a senior staff member at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Maryland, working on maritime robotics, planetary defense, and space exploration missions for NASA.

Jack Hathaway, commander, U.S. Navy, is a native of Connecticut. He earned bachelor’s degrees in Physics and History from the U.S. Naval Academy and completed graduate studies at Cranfield University in England and the U.S. Naval War College. A naval aviator, Hathaway flew and deployed with Navy’s Strike Fighter Squadron 14 aboard the USS Nimitz and Strike Fighter Squadron 136 aboard the USS Truman. He graduated from Empire Test Pilots’ School in Wiltshire, England, supported the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, and was most recently assigned as the prospective executive officer for Strike Fighter Squadron 81. He has more than 2,500 flight hours in 30 types of aircraft, more than 500 carrier arrested landings, and flew 39 combat missions.

Anil Menon, lieutenant colonel, U.S. Air Force, was born and raised in Minneapolis. He was SpaceX’s first flight surgeon, helping to launch the company’s first humans to space during NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission and building a medical organization to support the human system during future missions. Prior to that, he served NASA as the crew flight surgeon for various expeditions taking astronauts to the International Space Station. Menon is an actively practicing emergency medicine physician with fellowship training in wilderness and aerospace medicine. As a physician, he was a first responder during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, 2015 earthquake in Nepal, and the 2011 Reno Air Show accident. In the Air Force, Menon supported the 45th Space Wing as a flight surgeon and the 173rd Fighter Wing, where he logged more than 100 sorties in the F-15 fighter jet and transported over 100 patients as part of the critical care air transport team.

Christopher Williams grew up in Potomac, Maryland. He graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in Physics and a doctorate in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where his research was in astrophysics. Williams is a board-certified medical physicist, completing his residency training at Harvard Medical School in Boston, before joining the faculty as a clinical physicist and researcher. He most recently worked as a medical physicist in the Radiation Oncology Department at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. He was the lead physicist for the institute’s MRI-guided adaptive radiation therapy program. His research focused on developing image guidance techniques for cancer treatments.

Jessica Wittner, lieutenant commander, U.S. Navy, is a native of California with a distinguished career serving on active duty as a naval aviator and test pilot. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Arizona in Tucson, and a master’s in Aerospace Engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Wittner was commissioned as a naval officer through an enlisted-to-officer program and has served operationally flying F/A-18 fighter jets with Strike Fighter Squadron 34 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Strike Fighter Squadron 151 in Lemoore, California. A graduate of U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, she also worked as a test pilot and project officer with Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 in China Lake, California.

UAE’s astronaut candidates are:

Nora AlMatrooshi, born in Sharjah, the first Emirati and Arab woman astronaut, was selected in the second group of UAE astronaut candidates and is part of NASA’s astronaut candidate class of 2021 undergoing training in the U.S. AlMatrooshi holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the United Arab Emirates University and completed a semester at Vaasa University of Applied Sciences in Finland. She is a member of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers and previously worked as a piping engineer at the National Petroleum Construction Co. During her time there, she contributed to significant engineering projects for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. and Saudi Aramco and served as a technical specialist. She also was vice president of the Youth Council at the National Petroleum Construction Company for three years.

Mohammed AlMulla, born in Dubai, also was selected in the second group of UAE astronaut candidates, and is part of NASA’s astronaut candidate class of 2021 undergoing training in the U.S. At 19 years old, he had obtained a commercial pilot’s license from Australia civil aviation safety authority, making him the youngest pilot in Dubai Police. At age 28, he set another record by becoming the youngest trainer in the same organization after receiving his pilot trainer license. AlMulla earned a bachelor’s degree in Law and Economics in 2015 and an executive master’s in Public Administration from the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government in 2021. With more than 15 years of experience, he also served as the Head of Training Department of the Air Wing Centre at Dubai Police.

All astronaut candidates have completed training in spacewalking, robotics, space station systems, T-38 jet proficiency, and Russian language. At the ceremony, each candidate will receive an astronaut pin, marking their graduation from basic training and their eligibility to be selected to fly in space.

NASA continues its work aboard the space station, which has maintained more than 23 consecutive years of human presence. The agency also is enabling the development of new commercial space stations where crew members will continue conducting science to benefit Earth and deep space exploration.

As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all.

Find additional photos of the astronaut candidates and their training here:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmXdVHhc

-end-

Josh Finch / Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov

Courtney Beasley
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov

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Feb 07, 2024

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      “Our management have put us in a position to be successful,” said NASA engineer Josh Greiner. “They have helped move us onto the test stands and given us a huge share of the responsibility of leading projects early in our career, which provides us the confidence and opportunity to conduct tests.” 
      In addition, center leaders made a deliberate decision more than a decade ago to return test stand operations to the NASA team. Prior to that time, stand operations were in the hands of contractors under NASA supervision. The shift allowed the civil servant test team to fine-tune its skill set even as it continued to work closely with contractor partners to support both government and commercial aerospace propulsion projects. 
      An image from October 2022 shows NASA engineers preparing for the next RS-25 engine test series at NASA’s Stennis Space Center by monitoring the reload of propellant tanks to the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly the A-1 Test Stand). RS-25 engines are powered by a mix of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.NASA/Stennis An image from October 2022 shows test team personnel ensuring pressures and flow paths are set properly for liquid oxygen to be transferred to the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly the A-1 Test Stand), pictured in the background.NASA/Stennis An image from August 2023 shows test team personnel inspecting a pump during an initial chill down activity at the E-3 Test Complex. The versatile four-stand E Test Complex includes 12 active test cell positions capable of various component, engine, and stage test activities for NASA and commercial programs and projects. NASA/Stennis An image from September 2023 shows test team personnel preparing for future SLS (Space Launch System) exploration upper stage testing that will take place on the B-2 side of the Thad Cochran Test Stand. NASA’s new upper stage is being built as a more powerful SLS second stage to send the Orion spacecraft and heavier payloads to deep space. It will fly on the Artemis missions following a series of Green Run tests of its integrated systems at NASA Stennis. The test series will culminate with a hot fire of the four RL10 engines that will power the upper stage.NASA/Stennis An image from September 2023 shows test team personnel preparing for future SLS (Space Launch System) exploration upper stage testing by conducting a liquid hydrogen flow procedure. NASA’s new upper stage is being built as a more powerful SLS second stage to send the Orion spacecraft and heavier payloads to deep space. The upper stage will undergo a series of Green Run tests of its integrated systems on the B-2 side of the Thad Cochran Test Stand at NASA Stennis.NASA/Stennis The evolution and performance of the NASA Stennis team was illustrated in stark fashion in June/July 2018 when a blended team of NASA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Boeing, and Syncom Space Services engineers and operators test fired an AR-22 rocket engine 10 times in a 240-hour period. 
      The campaign marked the first time a large liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen engine had been tested so often in such a short period of time. The test team overcame a variety of challenges, including a pair of lightning strikes that threatened to derail the entire effort. Following completion of the historic series, a NASA engineer who helped lead the campaign recounted one industry observer who repeatedly characterized the site’s test team as nothing less than a national asset. 
      The experienced site workforce now tests RS-25 engines and propulsion systems for NASA’s Artemis campaign, including those that will help power Artemis missions to the Moon for scientific discovery and economic benefits. The NASA Stennis team also supports a range of commercial aerospace propulsion test activities, facilitating continued growth in capabilities. For instance, the team now has experience working with oxygen, hydrogen, methane, and kerosene propellants.  
      “The NASA and contractor workforce at NASA Stennis is second to none when it comes to propulsion testing,” Schuyler said. “Many of the current employees have been involved in rocket engine testing for over 30 years, and newer workers are being trained under these seasoned professionals.”
      For information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit: 
      Stennis Space Center – NASA 
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      Last Updated Nov 13, 2024 EditorNASA Stennis CommunicationsContactC. Lacy Thompsoncalvin.l.thompson@nasa.gov / (228) 688-3333LocationStennis Space Center Related Terms
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      Note: The following article is part of a series highlighting propulsion testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. To access the entire series, please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/propulsion-powering-space-dreams/.
      Workers making way for NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, likely did not realize they were building something that would not only withstand the test of time but transcend it.
      Mosquitoes, snakes, hurricanes, and intense south Mississippi heat – early crews faced all with a spirit of resilience and adaptability that remains a hallmark characteristic of NASA Stennis six decades later.
      “From going to the Moon for the first time and now returning to the Moon, you can trace a straight line of propulsion testing at NASA Stennis,” said Maury Vander, chief of the NASA Stennis Test Operations Division. “We still stand on the front lines of support for this country’s space program.”
      For five decades and counting, the versatile NASA Stennis test stands have been used for stage, engine, and component testing on multiple NASA and commercial projects.
      A Sept. 25, 2012, aerial image shows the three propulsion test areas at NASA’s Stennis Space Center – the E Test Complex (with 12 active test cell positions capable of component, engine, and stage test activities) in the foreground, the A Test Complex (featuring the Fred Haise, A-2, and A-3 stands for large engine testing) in the middle, and the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-1/B-2) that can support both engine and stage testing in the background.NASA/Stennis The Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly the A-1 Test Stand), pictured on Oct. 6, 2020, at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, tests RS-25 flight engines to help power NASA’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System). NOTE: Right click on photo to open full image in new tab.NASA/Stennis An image shows the A-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center – then-Mississippi Test Facility – on April 17, 1966. Less than a week later, south Mississippi would be fully ushered into the Apollo era with the site’s first-ever hot fire test. NOTE: Right click on photo to open full image in new tab.NASA/Stennis An image shows the A-3 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on March 29, 2013. The test stand area now is under lease to Rocket Lab for commercial operations. NOTE: Right click on photo to open full image in new tab.NASA/Stennis An image shows the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-1/B-2) at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Dec. 31, 2014, during buildout for testing the core stage of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. NASA/Stennis An aerial image shows the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-1/B-2) at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Feb. 22, 2017, following core stage buildout of the test stand for future SLS (Space Launch System) testing. NASA/Stennis Three NASA Stennis stands – Fred Haise (formerly the A-1 Test Stand), A-2, and Thad Cochran (B-1/B-2) – date to the 1960s, when they were built to test Saturn V rocket stages for Apollo missions to the Moon. The Fred Haise and A-2 stand were single-position stands for testing one Saturn V second stage at a time. The Thad Cochran featured two positions – (B-1 and B-2) – that could each house a Saturn V first stage, although only the B-2 position was used during Apollo testing.
      When the Apollo Program ended, the Fred Haise, A-2, and Thad Cochran (B-1) stands were modified to test single engines rather than rocket stages. All three were used in subsequent years to test space shuttle main engines and others.
      Meanwhile, the Thad Cochran (B-2) stand was maintained for full stage testing. The space shuttle Main Propulsion Test Article was tested on the stand, as was the Common Core Booster for the Delta IV rocket. Most recently, the stand was used to test the first SLS (Space Launch System) stage that helped launch the Artemis I mission in 2022.
      In 2024, the Fred Haise Test Stand is dedicated to RS-25 engine testing for NASA’s Artemis initiative. Every RS-25 engine that will help launch an SLS rocket during Artemis will be tested on the stand. The A-2 stand has been leased to Relativity Space, which is modifying it to support stage testing for its new rocket. In 2023, the Thad Cochran (B-1) stand concluded more than 20 years of RS-68 testing for Aerojet Rocketdyne (now known as L3Harris) and now is open for commercial use. The Thad Cochran (B-2) stand is being prepared to test NASA’s new SLS exploration upper stage before it flies on a future Artemis mission.
      “When you think about the work at NASA Stennis, this is a place that helps write history,” Vander said. “And in a sense, these test stands are timeless, still operating as designed 60 years after they were built, so there is more history yet to come.”
      NASA Stennis also constructed a fourth large test structure in the 2010s. The A-3 Test Stand is uniquely designed to simulate high altitudes up to 100,000 feet for testing engines and stages that need to fire in space. Rocket Lab currently leases the A-3 Test Stand area for construction of its Archimedes Test Complex.
      Crews deliver the first RS-25 flight engine, engine No. 2059, to the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly the A-1 Test Stand) at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Nov. 4, 2015. The engine was tested to certify it for use on NASA’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. NASA/Stennis An image shows a space shuttle main engine test on the A-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on July 21, 2003. NASA/Stennis The A-3 Test Stand, designed to test fire next-generation engines at simulated altitudes up to 100,000 feet, undergoes an activation test on Feb. 24, 2014.NASA/Stennis NASA Stennis also operates a smaller test area to conduct component, subsystem, and system level testing. The area is now known as the E Test Complex and features four facilities, all developed from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.
      Construction of the E-1 Test Stand, then known as the Component Test Facility, began to support a joint project involving NASA and the U.S. Air Force project. Although the project was canceled, a second joint endeavor allowed completion of the test facility.
      Development of the E-2 Test Stand, originally known as the High Heat Flux Facility, began to support the National Aerospace Plane project. Following cancelation of the project, the facility was completed to support testing for component and engine development efforts.
      An E-3 Test Facility was constructed to support various component and small/subscale engine and booster test projects. Relativity Space leased a partially developed E-4 test area in 2018 and has since completed construction to support its commercial testing.
      All in all, the E Test Complex stands feature 12 active cells capable of various component and engine testing. The versatility of the complex infrastructure and test team allows it to support test projects for a range of commercial aerospace companies, large and small. Currently, both E-2 cells 1 and 2 are leased to Relativity Space through 2028.
      An aerial image shows the E-1 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on May 19, 2015. The versatile four-stand E Test Complex includes 12 active test cell positions capable of various component, engine, and stage test activities. NASA/Stennis An aerial image shows the E-3 test area at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on May 19, 2015. The versatile four-stand E Test Complex includes 12 active test cell positions capable of various component, engine, and stage test activities. NASA/Stennis An aerial image shows the E-2 Test Stand (Cell 1) at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on May 19, 2015. The versatile four-stand E Test Complex includes 12 active test cell positions capable of various component, engine, and stage test activities. NASA/Stennis “These facilities really do not exist anywhere else in the United States,” said Kevin Power, assistant director, Office of Project Management in the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate.  “Customers come to us with requirements for certain tests of an article, and we look at what is the best place to test it based on the facility infrastructure. We have completed component level testing, all the way up to full engines.”
      The list of companies who have conducted – or are now conducting – propulsion projects in the E Test Complex reads like a who’s who of commercial aerospace leaders.
      “The E Complex illustrates the NASA Stennis story,” Power said. “We have very valuable infrastructure and resources, chief of which is the test team, who adapt to benefit NASA and meet the needs of the growing commercial aerospace industry.”
      For information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit:
      Stennis Space Center – NASA
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      Details
      Last Updated Nov 13, 2024 EditorNASA Stennis CommunicationsContactC. Lacy Thompsoncalvin.l.thompson@nasa.gov / (228) 688-3333LocationStennis Space Center Related Terms
      Stennis Space Center Explore More
      5 min read NASA Stennis – An Ideal Place for Commercial Companies
      Article 13 mins ago 4 min read NASA Stennis Propulsion Testing Contributes to Artemis Missions
      Article 14 mins ago 5 min read NASA Stennis Test Team Supports Space Dreams with Proven Expertise
      Article 14 mins ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Stennis Topics
      Propulsion Test Engineering
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      View the full article
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