NASA Names Astronaut Reid Wiseman New Chief of Astronaut Office

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Dec 17, 2020, 17:22 ET

HOUSTON, Dec. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA's Director of Flight Operations Steve Koerner has appointed veteran astronaut Reid Wiseman as chief of the Astronaut Office. Wiseman takes the place of astronaut Pat Forrester, who has held the position since June 2017.

"Pat has provided a bedrock of steadfast, forthright leadership in the astronaut office during a crucial time for NASA as we launched the first commercial crew flights and laid the groundwork for Artemis missions," Koerner said. "His dedication to the astronaut corps has been evident at every turn and we appreciate all the hard work he has put in over the past three years."

Forrester is taking an extended leave of absence to pursue a personal opportunity outside of NASA.

In his new role, Wiseman will be responsible for managing Astronaut Office resources and operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. He also will help develop astronaut flight crew operation concepts and make crew assignments for future spaceflight missions.

"Reid's energy and enthusiasm for space exploration are matched only by his thoughtfulness and commitment to his fellow astronauts," Koerner said. "He will be a great chief for the astronaut office in the exciting times to come."

Wiseman is a U.S. Navy Captain and a native of Baltimore, Maryland. He earned a bachelor's degree in computer and systems engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, as well as a master's degree in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The naval aviator and test pilot served through three deployments before being selected as an astronaut in 2009.

Wiseman spent 165 days aboard the International Space Station as part of Expeditions 40 and 41 in 2014. During that time, he took part in two spacewalks, spending a total of 12 hours and 47 minutes upgrading the station's mobile servicing system for the Canadarm2 robotic arm and kicking off reconfigurations needed to prepare NASA for commercial crew missions. Since returning to Earth, he has supported the astronaut office in a number of roles, including as deputy chief astronaut and associate director of the Flight Operations Directorate.

View Wiseman's complete biography at:

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/reid-g-wiseman

Follow Wiseman on Twitter at:

https://twitter.com/astro_reid

SOURCE NASA