After learning Russian and robotics, plus training in jets and spacesuits over the past two years, NASA’s newest astronauts are ready to take a giant leap forward in space exploration.
Chosen from a pool of more than 12,000 applicants, the DoD’s Katie Lange reports that eight of the 10 Americans from NASA’s Class of 2024 happen to be current or former service members. Among those who successfully made it through the program are Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jessica Wittner, retired Marine Corps Maj. Luke Delaney and Coast Guard Cmdr. Andre Douglas.
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jessica Wittner
Wittner is no stranger to reaching heights that no one has ever been before. With two aerospace engineering degrees under her belt, she has spent over 10 years as a fighter pilot for the Navy. Wittner was commissioned as a naval officer through an enlisted-to-officer commissioning program and has served operationally flying F/A-18s with VFA-34 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and VFA-151 in Lemoore, California.
NASA selected her to join the 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class, which reported for duty in 2022. Wittner credited the military for helping her get through astronaut training, citing:
“[Fighter pilot training] really teaches you to problem solve time-critical issues and then apply those in real-time. That training that I got through the Navy has really helped me here…being able to think critically through the problem and then make a time-critical decision on what you should do.”
While waiting for her big assignment, Wittner is working on rotation on one of the many technological projects at NASA.
“We’re in the development and design phases of a lot of different things,” Wittner remarked of her current role. “There’s so much going on in the space industry and NASA right now—all the Artemis developments, getting equipment and development programs set up for equipment going to the moon and a bunch of commercial entities coming online that we’re working with. There’s endless opportunities.”
Retired Marine Corps Maj. Luke Delaney
Delaney served with the Marine Corps from 1998 to 2020. He predominately served as a test pilot—earning his wings as a KC-130 Navigator pilot in 2008—and would go on to serve two tours in Afghanistan, executed over 400 combat sorties accruing more than 550 combat flight hours and earned degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Upon retiring in 2020, Delaney transitioned to NASA Langley as a research pilot and aerospace engineer, managing several airborne science missions. He is currently supporting day-to-day operations for Expedition 71, which he says is very similar to his time in the Navy:
“It truly is an ultimate team sport. It’s very similar to how we operate in the military—we just want to make sure that everything is aligned and synchronized appropriately for effective execution onboard.”
Coast Guard Cmdr. Andre Douglas
The youngest of the three astronauts, Douglas has earned five degrees while serving with the U.S. Coast Guard: a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, a master’s in mechanical engineering, another master’s in naval architecture and marine engineering, an additional master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering and a doctorate in systems engineering. He served as a naval architect, salvage engineer, damage control assistant and officer of the deck with the Guard until he took on a position as a senior professional with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (APL).
As an engineer at APL, Douglas supported the fault management team during the development of the DART planetary defense mission for NASA. He also supported the systems engineering team on MEGANE, a sophisticated gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer instrument developed to support the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft and participated in the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium.
Douglas is switching gears to the more team-oriented work that comes with being an astronaut:
“I’m working the pressurized rover, the lunar terrain vehicle, the new space station called Gateway and also supporting a lot of the new suit design,” he said. “When we’re at the lab, we’re building spacecraft to do very complex missions. You’re an engineer either handling software, testing, designing or building hardware. As an astronaut, we’re learning how to operate vehicles. We’re learning how to work together as a team, and that’s a whole different mindset.”
Advice for the Next Class
While only three veterans have become astronauts in this graduating class, they will be far from the last. In a news story with the Department of Defense, the three offered their advice for going from military service member to astronaut:
“Taking that first step out the door again and knowing that you’re going into the unknown can be hard,” Wittner stated. “It’s been a long road to get here, but I really truly believe that if you can maintain that drive and find those good mentors, that anybody can make it.”
“To operate as a team and function in a different environment, you need a variety of skillsets to optimize,” Delaney advised. “Leverage your life experience—any aptitudes for engineering, mechanical, electrical or something that demonstrates those expeditionary skills and working in austere environments. [Have] good teamwork behaviors and leadership skills.”
“Be ready to talk about some of the things that you’re really proud of, because when you’re excited in the interview, as you get to that stage, everything that you said and wrote down aligns, and your true character comes out,” Douglas added. “You want to try to make sure you’re able to grab people’s attention right off the bat.”
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