Jessica Wittner | |
---|---|
Born | 1983 (age 40–41)
Fresno, California, U.S. |
Education |
University of Arizona (
BS) Naval Postgraduate School ( MS) |
Space career | |
NASA astronaut | |
Selection | NASA Group 23 (2021) |
Jessica Wittner (born 1983) is a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy and NASA astronaut. [1]
Wittner is a native of California with a distinguished career serving on active duty as a naval aviator and test pilot. As a teenager she joined the Naval Sea Cadet Corps, where she attained the highest rank, Chief Petty Officer. [2] She holds a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering from the University of Arizona, and a Master of Science in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Wittner was commissioned as a naval officer through an enlisted-to-officer program and has served operationally flying F/A-18 fighter jets with Strike Fighter Squadron 34 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Strike Fighter Squadron 151 in Lemoore, California. A graduate of U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, she also worked as a test pilot and project officer with Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 in China Lake, California. On December 6, 2021, Wittner was formally announced as a NASA astronaut candidate with NASA Astronaut Group 23. [3]
In 2023, Wittner participated in the ESA PANGAEA training organized by the European Space Agency, held between Italy ( Bletterbach canyon), Germany ( Noerdlingen-Ries crater) and Spain ( Lanzarote Island) [4] [5] [6] together with the collegues Thomas Pesquet and Takuya Onishi.