Get to Know the 2017 NASA Astronaut Candidates
Aug 28, 2017 · 5 min read
Get to know the NASA candidates that could one day represent you in space.

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.
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!
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“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
