Gregory Wiseman ’97

Alumnus Gregory R. Wiseman ’97 today was named among the newest class of NASA astronauts.

Wiseman, who earned his bachelor’s degree in computers and systems engineering from Rensselaer, was selected from 3,500 applicants to enter NASA’s 2009 astronaut candidate class. The new class of nine men and women will begin training in August at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

In an interview on the NASA web site, Wiseman, 33, a lieutenant commander and test pilot with the U.S. Navy, said was in a state of “complete disbelief” upon hearing of his selection.

“It still hasn't sunk in,” he said. “During my two rounds of interviews, I always felt like I didn't belong among the interviewees – everyone had far more amazing backgrounds and stories than I had. It was great to be among a group of people so thoroughly motivated to follow their dreams. I suppose when I fly home from my current deployment in a few weeks, the emotion will finally set in. For now though, the Navy is keeping me extremely busy.”

The talented and diverse group of new astronauts will play important roles in the future of NASA, the organization said. In addition to flying in space and performing engineering and scientific research aboard the International Space Station, astronauts participate in every aspect of human spaceflight, sharing their expertise with engineers and managers across the country.

Wiseman, department head of Strike Fighter Squadron 103 aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, said he had an interest in flight and space from a very young age. Watching space shuttle launches on television and seeing the Blue Angels perform every spring inspired him to pursue a career as a pilot.

“I never imagined I would get to compete for a spot in the space program but I always chose the path in life that would keep the dream a possibility,” he said. “I maintained a strong educational focus on engineering during college and my career. After my first tour flying F-14s in the Navy, I knew I wanted to be a test pilot; my desire to fly with NASA certainly pushed me in that direction.”

Witnessing firsthand the magnitude and grandeur of a shuttle launch helped to solidify his path toward becoming an astronaut.

“When I saw my first Space Shuttle launch from the side of a road in Cocoa Beach in 2001, my ambition was sealed,” Wiseman said. “There is nothing more exhilarating than watching the most complex machine on Earth accelerating downrange.”

The NASA news release announcing its newest class of astronauts is located at www.nasa.gov/astronauts/ascans2009.html and the full interview with Wiseman is at www.nasa.gov/astronauts/2009_wiseman.html

Several Rensselaer alumni have gone on to become astronauts and travel in space. John L. Swigert Jr. ‘65, was named an Apollo astronaut just months after his graduation from Rensselaer, and Richard A. Mastracchio ‘87 is still an active NASA Astronaut who has logged more than 24 days in space as part of the STS-106 Atlantis and STS-118 Endeavour crews.

Former Rensselaer President and alumnus George M. Low ‘48 was manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office and oversaw the redesign and testing of the Apollo Command and Service Module, and the Lunar Module. Under his direction, NASA flew eight Apollo missions with great success, including Apollo 8, the first manned lunar orbital flight in December 1968, and Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in July 1969. Low’s son, G. David Low ‘95, became an astronaut in June 1985 and logged more than 714 hours in space as a crew member of the STS-32 Columbia crew in 1990, the STS-43 Atlantis crew in 1991, and the STS-57 Endeavour crew in 1993.