Houston Chronicle

NASA’s new astronaut leader to help pick next moon visitors

- By Andrea Leinfelder andrea.leinfelder@chron.com

NASA tapped astronaut Joe Acaba on Thursday to play a central role in selecting who goes to the moon with the agency’s Artemis Program.

Acaba is the first person of Hispanic heritage to lead the Astronaut Office, and he will help make crew assignment­s for future launches, including the approachin­g lunar missions. NASA will soon name four astronauts who will circle the moon on the Artemis II mission, scheduled for 2024.

“As we build on the Internatio­nal Space Station’s unparallel­ed success in low-Earth orbit with our eyes on the moon and then Mars, Joe will play an integral role in ensuring our NASA astronauts are prepared for the challenges ahead,” NASA Administra­tor Bill Nelson said in a news release. “Joe is an experience­d space flyer and a proven leader, and he will undoubtedl­y inspire the next generation of NASA astronauts.”

As chief of the Astronaut Office, Acaba will be broadly responsibl­e for managing astronaut resources and operations.

Acaba, born in Inglewood, Calif., and raised in Anaheim, was selected as a NASA astronaut in May 2004. He’s a veteran of three space flights: space shuttle Discovery in 2009 and the Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2012 and 2017. He spent 306 days in low-Earth orbit and participat­ed in three spacewalks.

Prior to NASA, Acaba was a member of the Marine Corps Reserve. He worked as a hydrogeolo­gist in Los Angeles, primarily on Superfund sites, and was involved in the assessment and remediatio­n of groundwate­r contaminan­ts. He also spent two years in the Peace Corps, and he taught high school and middle school.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of California in Santa Barbara, a master’s degree in geology from the University of Arizona and a master’s degree in education, curriculum and instructio­n from Texas Tech University.

Acaba is replacing NASA astronaut Drew Feustel, who spent two years as deputy chief and has been acting chief since NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman left the position late last year.

“I extend my sincerest thanks to Reid Wiseman for his dedicated service to the Astronaut Office,” Vanessa Wyche, director of the Johnson Space Center, said in the agency’s statement, adding that “he completed the tremendous task of preparing our astronaut corps for daring missions to and from the Internatio­nal Space Station, and integratin­g their expertise and space knowledge to develop and test future technologi­es, software and procedures.”

 ?? Courtesy NASA ?? Joe Acaba, who is the first person of Hispanic heritage to lead NASA’s Astronaut Office, will help make crew assignment­s for future launches, including the approachin­g lunar missions.
Courtesy NASA Joe Acaba, who is the first person of Hispanic heritage to lead NASA’s Astronaut Office, will help make crew assignment­s for future launches, including the approachin­g lunar missions.

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