NASA Introduces Astronaut Class of 2004 – The Next Generation of Explorers
NASA’s 2004 astronaut candidate class was introduced
today during Space Day activities at the National Air and
Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.
“These are the astronauts who will lead us through the next
steps in the new exploration vision,” NASA Administrator Sean
O’Keefe said. “The class is made up of pilots and engineers
who will help us develop the next generation vehicle,
scientists who will do research to help humans live and
travel in space and three new educator astronauts to help
ensure a new generation is ready for the challenges of
exploration,” he said.
The new astronaut candidates:
Mission Specialist-Educator Joseph Acaba, 36, of Dunnellon,
Fla.; math and science teacher at Dunnellon Middle School;
born in Inglewood, Ca. Acaba has degrees from the University
of California at Santa Barbara and the University of Arizona.
He is a former Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican
Republic and also managed a research station in the Bahamas.
Mission Specialist-Educator Richard Arnold, 40, of Berlin,
Md.; currently lives in Bucharest, Romania; math and science
teacher at the American International School of Bucharest;
born in Cheverly, Md. and raised in Bowie, Md. Arnold has
degrees from Frostburg State University, Md., and the
University of Maryland. Arnold has also taught in Morocco,
Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia.
Pilot Randolph Bresnik, Major, U.S. Marine Corps, 36, an F/A-
18 pilot and experimental test pilot based in San Diego,
Calif.; born in Fort Knox, Ky. Bresnik has degrees from The
Citadel, S.C., and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
He is getting married this month in a Scottish castle.
Mission Specialist Christopher Cassidy, Lt. Cmdr., U.S. Navy,
34; Navy SEAL based in Norfolk, Va.; born in Salem, Mass.;
raised in York, Maine. He has degrees from the U.S. Naval
Academy and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mass.
Cassidy completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan and earned
a Bronze Star.
Pilot James Dutton, Major, U.S. Air Force, 35; an F/A-22 test
pilot stationed in Edwards, Calif.; born and raised in
Eugene, Ore. Dutton has degrees from the U.S. Air Force
Academy and the University of Washington. During the 1990s,
Dutton flew combat air patrols over northern Iraq.
Mission Specialist Jose Hernandez, 41, of Houston; engineer
and branch chief at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC); born
in French Camp, Calif.; grew up as a migrant farm worker
before settling in Stockton, Calif. Hernandez has degrees
from the University of the Pacific and the University of
California at Santa Barbara. His work at Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory in the 1990s contributed to a new tool
for early breast cancer detection.
Mission Specialist R. Shane Kimbrough, 36, Major, U.S. Army,
of Houston; flight simulation engineer at JSC; born in
Killeen, Tex.; considers Atlanta his hometown. Kimbrough has
degrees from the U.S. Military Academy (USMA) and the Georgia
Institute of Technology. Kimbrough was captain of the
baseball team at USMA. He served as a platoon leader in an
Apache attack helicopter company during Desert Storm.
Mission Specialist Thomas Marshburn, M.D., 43, of Houston;
flight surgeon at JSC; born in Statesville, N.C.; raised in
Atlanta. He has degrees from Davidson College, N.C.; the
University of Virginia; Wake Forest University, N.C.; and the
University of Texas Medical Branch. Marshburn is an avid
mountain climber and has a private pilot’s license.
Mission Specialist-Educator Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, 28,
of Vancouver, Wash.; science teacher at Hudson’s Bay High
School; born in Colorado Springs, Co. and raised in Fort
Collins, Co. Metcalf-Lindenburger graduated from Whitman
College, Wash. She is a cross-country coach and marathon
runner. She was a champion runner in college.
Mission Specialist Robert Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., 38, of Oak
Park, Ill.; orthopedic surgeon at Northwestern Memorial
Hospital, Chicago; raised in Hampton, Va. Satcher has degrees
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and from
Harvard University. He performs research in muscular-skeletal
oncology and has done charity medical work overseas.
Mission Specialist Shannon Walker, Ph.D., 38, of Houston; a
manager at JSC overseeing the technical health of the
International Space Station; born and raised in Houston.
Walker has three degrees from Rice University. She has lived
in worked in Russia, supporting the Space Station program.
She is an avid private pilot.
“With the new exploration vision, human space flight is
really moving into its next era,” said NASA Associate
Administrator for Space Flight William Readdy. “Members of
this class have terrific experience behind them already, and
we’re thrilled to have their smarts and skills to help us
move forward,” he said.
“We are especially excited to welcome our three new educator
astronauts,” said NASA Associate Administrator for Education,
Dr. Adena Loston. “They will help inspire a new generation of
explorers.”
NASA TV will feed video of the astronaut class beginning at
noon EDT today. The Video File will include sound bites and
b-roll of the class members. NASA TV is available on AMC-9,
transponder 9C, C-Band, located at 85 degrees west longitude.
The frequency is 3880.0 MHz. Polarization is vertical, and
audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz.
Full biographies and still photos of the astronaut candidates
will be available at:
For more information about Space Day 2004, visit:
For information about NASA and agency programs on the
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