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 List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

, 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 4 ...

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 a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...

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

naval aviator Naval aviation / Aeronaval is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. It often involves '' navalised aircraft'', specifically designed for naval use. Seaborne aviation encompas ...

and test pilot. Wiseman was the Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office from June 2017, working under Chief Astronaut

Patrick Forrester Patrick Graham Forrester (born March 31, 1957) is a NASA astronaut, engineer, and former Chief of the Astronaut Office. He is a retired United States Army colonel and Army aviator. He is married and has two children. Forrester flew on three Space ...

. 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 II Artemis II is a planned mission under the NASA-led Artemis program, set to be the second launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the first crewed flight of the Orion (spacecraft), Orion spacecraft. Scheduled to launch in early 2026, ...

flight, which is planned to make a flyby of the Moon in 2026. 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. Cernan traveled into space three times and to the Moon twice: as pilot ...

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

in 1972.

Personal life and education

Reid Wiseman is a native of

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

, 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. It ...

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 university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...

Troy, New York Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

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

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

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 Officer 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 1924 ...

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 Sta ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, 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. The station is located on 23.9 square kilometers. It has total of 250 aircraft deployed and buildings valued at $800 mi ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, for transition to the

F-14 Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, tandem two-seat, twin-tail, all-weather-capable 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 August 1992 to March 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of moni ...

Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

, and

Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

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

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

, Maryland with USNTPS 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 Testin ...

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 ...

) 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, supersonic stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for both air superiority and strike missions, it also has electronic ...

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

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 is u ...

. 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 a series of American supersonic twinjet, twin-engine, Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft derived from the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Ho ...

. 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 establi ...

with Combat V (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 fift ...

with Combat V (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 rece ...

, 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 United States's civil space program, aeronautics research and space research. Established in 1958, it su ...

(

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

) 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 in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

, 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, formally named the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, are a Aerobatics, flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.. Blue Angels official site. Formed in 1946, the unit is the second oldest formal aerobatics ...

" 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

. 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

mission, which is planned to pass by the Moon no earlier than April 2026. He will be joined by NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and

Canadian Space Agency The Canadian Space Agency (CSA; ) is the national space agency of Canada, established in 1990 by the ''Canadian Space Agency Act''. The President of the Canadian Space Agency, president is Lisa Campbell (civil servant), Lisa Campbell, who took ...

astronaut

Jeremy Hansen Jeremy Roger Hansen (born January 27, 1976) is a Canadian astronaut, fighter pilot, physicist and former aquanaut. He was selected to join the Canadian Space Agency in the 2009 CSA selection along with David Saint-Jacques. Prior to his select ...

References

External links

NASA biography
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiseman, Reid 1975 births Living people 21st-century American naval officers Aquanauts American test pilots Aviators from Maryland Crew members of the International Space Station Engineers from Baltimore Johns Hopkins University alumni Military personnel from Baltimore People from Timonium, Maryland Recipients of the Air Medal Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni Spacewalkers United States Naval Test Pilot School alumni United States Naval Aviators United States Navy astronauts United States Navy captains