Get to Know the 2017 NASA Astronaut Candidates

Jonathan Stroud
Aug 28, 2017 · 5 min read

Get to know the NASA candidates that could one day represent you in space.

The 2017 NASA Astronaut Class: (from left) Zena Cardman, Jasmin Moghbeli, Jonny Kim, Frank Rubio, Matthew Dominick, Warren Hoburg, Robb Kulin, Kayla Barron, Bob Hines, Raja Chari, Loral O’ Hara and Jessica Watkins. Photo Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz

NASA recently selected 12 astronaut candidates out of approximately 18,000 applications.

The individuals selected by NASA could one day represent the United States in space.

What do you think of the 2017 astronaut candidates? Share your thoughts with me on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn!

NASA announced the latest astronaut candidates on June 7, 2017. Get to know each NASA astronaut candidate with this brief overview as they report for duty this August.

Also, I highly recommend reading Prepare for Launch: The Astronaut Training Process!

Matthew Dominick

From: Colorado
Education: Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of San Diego. Master of Science degree in Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. Graduate of U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.

Fun Fact: Dominic has 1,600+ hours of flight time in 28 different aircraft.

Kayla Barron

From: Washington
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy. Master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Cambridge in Cambridge.

Fun Fact: Barron’s graduate research focused on modeling the fuel cycle for a next-generation, thorium-fueled nuclear reactor concept.

Jonny Kim

From: California
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of San Diego, Doctorate of Medicine from Harvard Medical School.

Fun Fact: Kim completed more than 100 combat missions as a U.S Navy SEAL.

Robb Kulin

From: Alaska
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Denver. Master’s degree in Materials Science and Doctorate in Engineering from the University of California, San Diego.

Fun Fact: Kulin was senior manager for flight reliability at SpaceX, leading the Launch Chief Engineering group in Hawthorne, California.

Bob Hines

From: Pennsylvania
Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Boston University. Master of Science degree in Flight Test Engineering and n Aerospace Engineering.

Fun Fact: Hines was a Research Pilot for the Aircraft Operations Division of the Flight Operations Directorate at NASA’s Johnson Space Center prior to his selection.

Warren Hoburg

From: Pennsylvania
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT. Doctorate in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Fun Fact: Before attending schooling at MIT Hoburg worked for Boeing Commercial Airplanes Product Development on software for composite manufacturing processes.

Zena Cardman

From: Illinois
Education: Bachelor’s in Biology. Master’s in Marine Sciences from The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Fun Fact: Cardman sailed with the Sea Education Association as Assistant Engineer prior to her Master’s program.

Raja Chari

From: Wisconsin
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Astronautical Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. Master’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland and the US Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Fun Fact: Prior to selection Chari was a Colonel serving in the U.S. Air Force, as the Commander of the 461st Flight Test Squadron and the Director of the F-35 Integrated Test Force.

Frank Rubio

From: California
Education: Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Doctorate of Medicine from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Family Medicine Residency at Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Benning, Georgia.

Fun Fact: Rubio served as a clinic supervisor, an executive medicine provider and a flight surgeon at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama

Jessica Watkins

From: Maryland
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Geological and Environmental Sciences from Stanford University in Stanford, California. Doctorate in Geology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Fun Fact: Prior to selection Watkins studied the emplacement mechanisms of large landslides on Mars and Earth through orbital data analysis and field work.

Jasmim Moghbeli

From: New York (Born in Germany)
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering with Information Technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Graduate of the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland.

Fun Fact: Moghbeli tested H-1 helicopters and served as the quality assurance and avionics officer for Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 of the U.S. Marine Corps in Yuma, Arizona.

Loral O’Hara

From: Texas
Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Kansas. Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Fun Fact: O’Hara is a certified EMT and wilderness first responder.

Find out more about NASA’s 2017 astronaut candidates here!

Share what you learned about NASA’s latest selection of astronauts on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn!

“There are no wishy-washy astronauts. You don’t get up there by being uncaring and blase. And whatever gave you the sense of tenacity and purpose to get that far in life is absolutely reaffirmed and deepened by the experience itself.” — Chris Hadfield

)

Jonathan Stroud

Written by

Content creator, love to write, passionate about space.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade