The New York space ecosystem is home to top-notch universities, a small but dynamic private sector, and a powerhouse space finance sector. It is also home to another critical component of human space exploration.
Astronauts.
Of NASA’s 40 active astronauts, 8 have ties to New York. Some were born here, others came later in life for college, and still others made their way to New York as part of their military service. All of them exemplify the best that the Empire State has to offer and are one of the highlights of the New York space ecosystem.
They break down into four groups: Born in New York, Grew Up in New York, Went to College in New York, and Served at West Point (in New York). Regardless of what brought these individuals here, they exemplify the best that the Empire State has to offer and serve as an inspiration to New Yorkers from all walks of life.
Born In New York - These astronauts were born and raised in New York.
Jeanette Epps
Twitter - @Astro_Jeanette
Time in Space - TBD
Missions - CST-100 Starliner (scheduled launch TBD)
Jeanette Epps was born in Syracuse on November 3rd, 1970 after her parents relocated to Central New York from Mississippi. She graduated High School in Syracuse, and pursued her undergraduate degree in Physics at the nearby Le Moyne College.
Epps went on to receive a PhD in Physics from the University of Maryland and spend time working for the Ford Motor Company and the CIA, where she was deployed to Iraq.
Selected as an astronaut candidate in 2009, Epps has been quite patient in waiting her turn to fly to space. She was originally slated to fly to the International Space Station in 2018, but was rotated out at the last minute. In 2020 she was named as an inaugural crew member of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, but it has yet to launch. There are rumors that Epps may be transferred to NASA’s upcoming SpaceX Crew 8 mission, but as of this writing that remains to be seen.
Douglas H Wheelock
Twitter - @Astro_Wheels
Time in Space - 178 days, 9 hours, 34 minutes
Dates in Space - Oct - Nov 2007, June 2010 - Nov 2010
Missions - STS-120, ISS Expedition 24/25
Douglas Wheelock was born on May 5th, 1960 in Binghamton New York, in the Southern Tier. Fascinated by the Moon landing in the summer of 1969, he went on to graduate from High School in Windsor, New York before joining the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served as an accomplished Army Aviator from September 1984 until August 1998, when he became a NASA Astronaut candidate.
Wheelock has extensive experience with the Russian aspects of the International Space Station collaboration, and he has twice served as NASA’s Director of Operations in Star City, Russia. In 2005 he spent 15 days aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on a construction mission at the International Space Station.
Wheelock spent more than five months aboard the International Space Station in 2010, including the last two as Commander, where he earned the distinction of being the first Army officer to command the orbital outpost. Over the course of both missions Wheelock participated in 6 spacewalks for a total of 43 hours and 30 minutes.
Grew Up In New York - These astronauts weren’t born in New York, but came here as kids and graduated High School here.
Jasmin Moghbeli
Twitter - @AstroJaws
Time in Space - TBD
Missions - Space Crew-7 (scheduled launch August, 2023)
Jasmin Moghbeli was born in West Germany in 1983 to Iranian parents who had fled the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The family eventually settled in Baldwin, New York on the south side of Long Island. Moghbeli graduated from Baldwin High School, where she also participated in the Huntsville Space Camp in Alabama.
Moghbeli eventually joined the Marine Corps where she became an AH-1 Super Cobra pilot, flying over 150 missions overseas. While in the Navy she received her Masters in Aerospace Engineering and eventually became a NASA astronaut candidate in June, 2017. She graduated from astronaut training in January, 2020 and in March of 2022 was selected as the SpaceX Crew-7 mission Commander.
Went to College in New York - These astronauts came to New York to take advantage of our top-notch Colleges & Universities.
Josh A. Cassada
Twitter - @astro_josh
Time in Space - 157 days, 10 hours, 1 minute
Dates in Space - Oct 2022 - March 2023
Missions - ISS Expedition 68/69
Josh Cassada was born in 1973 in San Diego, but he considers Bear Lake, Minnesota to be home. He later attended the University of Rochester in the Finger Lakes Region, where he received a Masters’ and PhD in Physics in 2007 and 2010 respectively. While at the U of R he participated in high-energy particle physics research with the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
After graduation Cassada became a naval officer and deployed to both Iraq and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami recovery. He also founded a superconducting instrument manufacturing business. He was selected as a NASA astronaut candidate in 2013 and completed his training in July, 2015.
Cassada launched to space on the SpaceX Crew-5 mission in October of 2022. While aboard the International Space station Cassada completed 3 spacewalks for a total of 21 hours and 24 minutes.
Reid Wiseman
Twitter - @astroreid
Time in Space - 165 days, 8 hours, 1 minute
Dates in Space - May 2014 - November 2014
Missions - ISS Expedition 40/41 , Artemis II (scheduled Nov 2024)
(Gregory) Reid Wiseman was born in 1975 in Maryland, eventually completing his undergraduate degree in Computer & Systems Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. While at RPI Wiseman joined the Naval ROTC and after graduation became a Naval Aviator.
Wiseman became a NASA Astronaut trainee in 2009, a dream he says was inspired by seeing a live Shuttle launch in his youth. Wiseman would eventually spend six months aboard the International Space Station in 2014 where he spent over 12 hours on two separate spacewalks.
In April, 2023 NASA announced that Wiseman would serve as the Commander of Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the vicinity of the Moon since the Apollo missions.
Served at West Point (in New York) - These astronauts have ties to New York because they attended or taught at the United States Military Academy at West Point, located in the Hudson Valley.
Andrew R Morgan
Twitter - @AstroDrewMorgan
Time in Space - 271 days, 12 hours, 48 minutes
Dates in Space - July 2019 - April 2020
Missions - ISS Expedition 60/61/62
Born in 1976 in West Virginia and raised in Delaware, Andrew Morgan came to New York to earn a Bachelors in Environmental Engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Upon graduation he was commissioned as an Army Medical Officer and was stationed at Fort Bragg, in the North Country region of New York.
Morgan became a NASA Astronaut candidate in June of 2013 and completed his training in July of 2015. He launched to the International Space Station in July 2019 as a member of Expedition 60 on what was intended to be a 6-month mission. Due to a failed Soyuz launch, Morgan’s mission was extended until April of 2020. During his extended stay aboard the station Morgan completed a record-breaking 7 spacewalks for a total of 45 hours and 48 minutes.
Francisco Rubio
Time in Space - TBD
Dates in Space - Sept 2022 - current
Missions - ISS Expedition 67/68/69
Frank Rubio was born in Los Angeles in 1975 and spent time growing up in El Salvador and Miami before coming to New York to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. After graduation, Rubio spent over 1,000 hours as a pilot of the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, including combat tours in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He eventually earned his Doctorate of Medicine and became a flight surgeon.
Rubio was selected as a NASA astronaut candidate in 2017 and finished his training two years later. In September of 2022 he launched to the International Space Station for what was intended to be a 6-month mission. After damage to a Soyuz vehicle docked at the International Space Station, Rubio’s mission was extended until the fall of 2023. While aboard he has completed 3 spacewalks for a total of 21 hours and 24 minutes.
Mark T Vande Hei
Twitter - @Astro_Sabot
Time in Space - 523 days, 8 hours, 59 minutes
Dates in Space - Sept 2017 - February 2018 , April 2021 - March 2022
Missions - ISS Expedition 53/54, ISS Expedition 64/65/66
Mark Vande Hei was born in Virginia in 1966 and eventually went to college for Physics in both Minnesota and California (Stanford). Upon graduation from the Army ROTC he became a combat engineer and served in Iraq. After earning his Master’s degree he came to New York and became an Associate Professor of Physics at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Vande Hei joined the US Army contingent at the Johnson Space Center in 2006 and became a NASA Astronaut candidate in 2009. His first stint aboard the International Space Station came in September 2017 until February 2018, during which he conducted a spacewalk to repair the station's exterior Canadarm.
Vande Hei’s second trip to the International Space Station started in April of 2021 and was intended to last just 6 months. In September 2021 it was extended another 6 months in order to better understand the impacts of long-duration spaceflight on the human body. Despite some last minute blustering from the head of the Russian space agency, Vande Hei returned to Earth successfully in March of 2022 and currently holds the record of longest-duration American spaceflight at 353 days.
Thoughts for the Future
These eight brave and trailblazing individuals represent the best that New York has to offer, regardless of how they came to be connected to our state. Some were born and raised here, while others came later in life for college or military opportunities. Their connections dot the entire state, ranging from the south shores of suburban Long Island to the hilly Finger Lakes and Central New York.
These stories leave us with a couple of prominent takeaways.
Regardless of your background or walk of life, there is a path for you that can lead to greatness. This group represents a rapidly diversifying NASA Astronaut corps, with two non-white women among their ranks and multiple people who have lived abroad in their childhood.
New York is a home for astronauts in more ways than one. Numerous native New Yorkers have gone on to become astronauts, a trend that continues to this very day. Our top-notch universities and our unique home to the United States Military Academy also are proven pipelines for those who wish to one day journey to the stars.
The biggest question that remains is a simple one.
Who will join them next?