Gregory Reid Wiseman (born November 11, 1975) is an American

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

, and naval aviator. He served as

Chief of the Astronaut Office The Chief of the Astronaut Office is the most senior leadership position for active astronauts at the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Chief Astronaut serves as head of the NASA Astronaut Corps and is the principal ...

until November 14, 2022. Wiseman was selected in June 2009 as a member of the

NASA Astronaut Group 20 NASA Astronaut Group 20 (The Chumps) saw the training of nine mission specialists, and five international mission specialists to become NASA astronauts. These 14 astronauts began training in August 2009 and officially graduated as astronauts on ...

and qualified as an astronaut in 2011. Wiseman took part in his first spaceflight as part of the crew of

Expedition 40 Expedition 40 was the 40th expedition to the International Space Station. A portion of the Expedition 39 crew transferred to Expedition 40 while the remainder of the crew launched on May 28, 2014 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Upon ach ...

/ 41, which launched to the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...

on May 28, 2014, and returned on November 10, 2014. Before joining NASA, Wiseman was a

naval aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

and test pilot. Wiseman was the Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office from June 2017, working under Chief Astronaut Patrick Forrester. On December 18, 2020, he was promoted to Chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA. In December, 2022. Wiseman stepped down from this position and was replaced by his deputy, Drew Feustel who became acting chief until Joseph Acaba assumed the role as Chief in February, 2023. Wiseman was selected as commander of the crew for the

Artemis 2 Artemis 2 (officially Artemis II) is the second scheduled mission of NASA's Artemis program, and the first scheduled crewed mission of NASA's Orion spacecraft, currently planned to be launched by the Space Launch System (SLS) in May 2024. The c ...

flight, which is planned to make a flyby of the Moon in 2024. Wiseman would be the first commander of a lunar mission since

Gene Cernan Eugene Andrew Cernan (; March 14, 1934 – January 16, 2017) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot. During the Apollo 17 mission, Cernan became the eleventh human being to ...

Apollo 17 Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the final mission of NASA's Apollo program, the most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon or traveled beyond low Earth orbit. Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt walked on ...

in 1972.

Personal life and education

Reid Wiseman is a native of

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, and a graduate of

Dulaney High School Dulaney High School is a secondary school in Timonium, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The school serves a generally upper-middle class suburban community, with students from Timonium and surrounding areas in Baltimore County. Dul ...

in the suburb of Timonium. He earned a degree in computer and systems engineering from

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

. He subsequently obtained a master's degree in systems engineering from

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

in Baltimore in 2006. Wiseman was married to Carroll (Taylor) Wiseman until her death in 2020. He has two daughters. He is also a go-cart driver.

Navy career

Reid was commissioned through the

NROTC The Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program is a college-based, commissioned officer training program of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. Origins A pilot Naval Reserve unit was established in September 19 ...

program following graduation from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1997 and reported to

Naval Air Station Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, for flight training. He was designated a Naval Aviator in 1999 and reported to Fighter Squadron 101,

Naval Air Station Oceana Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana or NAS Oceana is a United States Navy Naval Air Station located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Nowadays, the station is located on 23.9 km2. It has total of 250 aircraft deployed and buildings valued at $800 mil ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, for transition to the

F-14 Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic aircraft, supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experi ...

. Following his initial training, Reid was assigned to Fighter Squadron 31, also at NAS Oceana, and made two deployments to the Middle East supporting Operations

Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...

Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

, and

Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

. During his second deployment in 2003, he was selected to attend the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (NTPS) at

Naval Air Station Patuxent River Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States naval air station located in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. It is home to Headquarters, Naval Air Sys ...

, Maryland with NTPS Class 125. Following graduation in June 2004, Reid was assigned as a

Test Pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testing ...

and Project Officer at Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three (

VX-23 Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) is an aviation unit of the United States Navy based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, United States. The squadron was established on 22 July 1995. Using the tail code ''SD'', the squadron o ...

) at NAS Patuxent River. At VX-23, Reid earned his M.S. degree and worked on various flight test programs involving the

F-35C Lightning II The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide ele ...

F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twinjet, twin-engine, supersonic aircraft, supersonic, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, ...

weapons separation, ship suitability, and the

T-45 Goshawk The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) T-45 Goshawk is a highly modified version of the British BAE Systems Hawk land-based training jet aircraft. Manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) and British Aerospace (now BAE Systems), the T-45 i ...

. Following his tour at NAS Patuxent River, Reid reported to

Carrier Air Wing Seventeen Carrier Air Wing Seventeen (CVW-17), is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier . Mission To conduct carrier air warfare operations and assi ...

(CVW-17) as the Strike Operations Officer, where he completed a deployment around South America. From there he was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 103 at NAS Oceana, flying the

F/A-18F Super Hornet The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft variants based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The F/A-18E single-seat and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants are larger and more ad ...

. He was deployed to the Middle East when he was selected for Astronaut training. While serving with various U.S. Navy units, he was awarded the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

with

Combat V Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

(five awards), the

Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

with

(four awards), the

Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to recei ...

, and various other campaign and service awards.

NASA career

ISS-40 Reid Wiseman on the Multi-user Drop Combustion Apparatus in the Destiny lab

On June 29, 2009, the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding th ...

(

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

) announced Wiseman's selection as one of nine candidates from 3,500 applicants to begin astronaut training. At the time, he was serving as a

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

, flying as a pilot with Strike Fighter Squadron 103 on the aircraft carrier ''USS Dwight D. Eisenhower'' (CVN 69), and based at NAS Oceana, Virginia. Wiseman said he often went to the U.S. Navy's "

Blue Angels The Blue Angels is a flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.

" shows as a youth and developed the strong desire to become an astronaut when he saw a Space Shuttle launch in person in 2001.

Expedition 40/41

Wiseman was part of the

/ 41

crew. The mission was six months in duration and lasted from May to November 2014. Wiseman launched at 19:57 UTC on May 28, 2014. The mission returned to Earth at 03:58 UTC on November 10, 2014.

Chief of the Astronaut Office

Wiseman was selected to be the new chief of the Astronaut Office on December 18, 2020, replacing Patrick Forrester. He previously served as Forrester's deputy chief of the Astronaut Office. He stepped down as chief on November 14, 2022, to return to the active flight rotation.

Artemis II commander

On April 3, 2023, Wiseman was selected as the crew commander for the Artemis II mission, which is planned to pass by the Moon no earlier than November 2024. He will be joined by NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and

Canadian Space Agency The Canadian Space Agency (CSA; french: Agence spatiale canadienne, ASC) is the national space agency of Canada, established in 1990 by the ''Canadian Space Agency Act''. The president is Lisa Campbell, who took the position on September 3, 2020 ...

astronaut

Jeremy Hansen Jeremy Roger Hansen (born January 27, 1976) is a current CSA astronaut. He was selected to join the CSA in the 2009 CSA selection along with David Saint-Jacques. Prior to his selection as one of Canada's astronauts, Hansen was a Royal Canadian ...

References

External links

NASA biography
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiseman, Reid 1975 births Living people Aquanauts People from Baltimore People from Timonium, Maryland Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni United States Naval Test Pilot School alumni American test pilots United States Navy officers United States Navy astronauts United States Naval Aviators Recipients of the Air Medal Spacewalkers