Quick Info
| Profession | NASA Astronaut, Naval Aviator, Engineer |
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| Nationality | American |
| Date of Birth | 11/11/1975 |
| Age | 50 years |
| Birthplace | Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
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Bio/Wiki
| Summary | Gregory Reid Wiseman is an American naval aviator and NASA astronaut who commanded the Artemis II lunar flyby mission in April 2026, the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. At age 50, he became the oldest person to travel beyond low Earth orbit and the first person to command a lunar mission since Gene Cernan on Apollo 17. |
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Educational Qualification(s)
| Undergraduate | Bachelor's degree in Computer and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1997) |
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| Graduate | Master's degree in Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins University (2006) |
Personal Life
| Description | Father, engineer, pilot |
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Career
| Military Service | 27-year Navy veteran; commissioned through ROTC in 1997; Naval Aviator (1999); F-14 pilot; served in Operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom; flew missions during Iraq War |
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| Test Pilot | Graduated from U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland (2004) |
| NASA Selection | Selected as NASA astronaut in June 2009 (Astronaut Group 20); completed training in May 2011 |
| Spaceflight Experience | First spaceflight: Soyuz TMA-13M to International Space Station (May 2014); Flight Engineer for Expedition 40/41; 165 days in orbit; completed over 300 scientific experiments; made two space walks; popular Earth photography on social media |
| Leadership | Chief of the Astronaut Office (December 2020 to November 2022); Deputy Chief (June 2017 to December 2020) |
| Artemis II | Commander of Artemis II mission (launched 01/04/2026, splashed down 10/04/2026); first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17; crew reached 252,756 miles from Earth, farthest distance for humans |
Some Lesser Known Facts
| 1. Expressed fascination with rockets as a child | |
| 2. Initially denied admission to the Naval Academy but pursued aviation career | |
| 3. Inspired by early experiences watching the US Navy Blue Angels | |
| 4. Photos of Earth taken from orbit were popular on Twitter (now X) | |
| 5. Described the beauty of Earth from space as 'like trying to describe a dream to someone' |