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Oct. 1, 2024<\/p>\n
Three-time Spacewalker Josh Cassada to Retire from NASA<\/strong><\/p>\n NASA astronaut Josh Cassada retired Oct. 1, after 11 years of service to the agency across multiple programs, including 157 days in space and three spacewalks. Cassada also is a retired United States Navy captain and naval aviator with more than two decades of service.<\/p>\n Cassada served as pilot of NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-5 mission and Expedition 68 flight engineer aboard the International Space Station, executing myriad maintenance, contingency, and upgrade activities inside the station while also contributing to hundreds of experiments and technology demonstrations. His three spacewalks outside of the orbiting laboratory totaled more than 21 hours, successfully installing a pair of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (IROSAs) to boost the station\u2019s electrical capacity. Cassada, alongside crewmate NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, also assembled the infrastructure for a future IROSA installation and fully restored a malfunctioning legacy solar array.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to extend my sincere gratitude to Josh for his dedication and service to human space exploration,\u201d said NASA Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche. \u201cJosh\u2019s contributions and\u00a0achievements to the advancement of science and exploration will inspire the next generation of explorers, the Artemis generation, and benefit humanity for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout Expedition 68, Cassada and his crewmates completed extensive problem-solving with ground teams, including the modification of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to accommodate an additional crew member in the event of an emergency return, and leveraged the crew\u2019s various skill sets and training to ensure continued safe and effective operations for current and future crews.<\/p>\n In Houston, Cassada served as a capsule communicator in NASA\u2019s Mission Control Center and assistant to the chief of the Astronaut Office for space station operations. As a physicist and test pilot, Cassada also contributed to the development of NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program and Orion spacecraft and represented the Astronaut Office in technical and operational reviews of scientific experiments such as the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and Cold Atom Lab.<\/p>\n \u201cJosh has played a significant role in NASA\u2019s deliverance of reliable and cost-effective human transportation to and from the space station,\u201d said Norm Knight, director of flight operations at NASA Johnson. \u201cThrough his dedication and commitment to human spaceflight exploration, Josh\u2019s work will continue to push us forward on our journey back to the Moon, and beyond. We will miss him and are excited to see what his next journey entails.\u201d<\/p>\n As he transitions from government service, Cassada will return to the private sector, working on extremely low light detection technologies with broad and emerging applications in various areas, including quantum networks and computing, remote sensing, long-range communication, semiconductor manufacturing, and medical imaging.<\/p>\n \u201cI am incredibly grateful for my many opportunities here at NASA,\u201d Cassada said, \u201cand especially to have served alongside some of the most amazing people both on and off our planet, accomplishing things that are only possible when we work and innovate together as a team. \u00a0As humans, we explore . And each scientific adventure, whether in a lab on Earth or in space, requires courage to explore and advance society. I am incredibly fortunate to have been surrounded by explorers during my entire career so far and going forward. An expedition may seem daunting, but it\u2019s a lot less so when you\u2019re prepared and with the right crewmates.\u201d<\/p>\n Before his selection by NASA in 2013 as a member of NASA\u2019s 21st Class, Cassada earned his doctorate in High Energy Particle Physics from the University of Rochester, New York and was a U.S. Navy pilot, instructor pilot, test pilot, and instructor test pilot. Throughout his career, Cassada has accumulated more than 4,000 flight hours in over 50 different aircraft and has been awarded various military and civilian awards.<\/p>\n Cassada graduated from White Bear Lake Area High School in Minnesota in 1991 and received his bachelor\u2019s in Physics in 1995 from Albion College in Michigan.<\/p>\n Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n -end-<\/p>\n Courtney Beasley
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov<\/p>\n<\/div>\n