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Hudson if he actually went to The royal Canadian Air Force during WW2.
This would be the Poppy Field AU where Hudson actually survives the studio. No telling if he survives the war though...
NASA Spotlight: Astronaut Mike Hopkins
Michael S. Hopkins was selected by NASA as an astronaut in 2009. The Missouri native is currently the Crew-1 mission commander for NASA’s next SpaceX launch to the International Space Station on Nov. 14, 2020. Hopkin’s Crew-1 mission will mark the first-ever crew rotation flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts on board, and it secures the U.S.’s ability to launch humans into space from American soil once again. Previously, Hopkins was member of the Expedition 37/38 crew and has logged 166 days in space. During his stay aboard the station, he conducted two spacewalks totaling 12 hours and 58 minutes to change out a degraded pump module. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering.
He took some time from being a NASA astronaut to answer questions about his life and career! Enjoy:
What do you hope people think about when you launch?
I hope people are thinking about the fact that we’re starting a new era in human spaceflight. We’re re-opening human launch capability to U.S. soil again, but it’s not just that. We’re opening low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station with commercial companies. It’s a lot different than what we’ve done in the past. I hope people realize this isn’t just another launch – this is something a lot bigger. Hopefully it’s setting the stage, one of those first steps to getting us to the Moon and on to Mars.
You served in the U.S. Air Force as a flight test engineer. What does that entail?
First off, just like being an astronaut, it involves a lot of training when you first get started. I went to the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and spent a year in training and just learning how to be a flight test engineer. It was one of the most challenging years I’ve ever had, but also one of the more rewarding years. What it means afterwards is, you are basically testing new vehicles or new systems that are going on aircraft. You are testing them before they get handed over to the operational fleet and squadrons. You want to make sure that these capabilities are safe, and that they meet requirements. As a flight test engineer, I would help design the test. I would then get the opportunity to go and fly and execute the test and collect the data, then do the analysis, then write the final reports and give those conclusions on whether this particular vehicle or system was ready to go.
What is one piece of life advice you wish somebody had told you when you were younger?
A common theme for me is to just have patience. Enjoy the ride along the way. I think I tend to be pretty high intensity on things and looking back, I think things happen when they’re supposed to happen, and sometimes that doesn’t necessarily agree with when you think it should happen. So for me, someone saying, “Just be patient Mike, it’s all going to happen when it’s supposed to,” would be really good advice.
Is there a particular science experiment you enjoyed working on the most while aboard the space station?
There’s a lot of experiments I had the opportunity to participate in, but the ones in particular I liked were ones where I got to interact directly with the folks that designed the experiment. One thing I enjoyed was a fluid experiment called Capillary Flow Experiment, or CFE. I got to work directly with the principal investigators on the ground as I executed that experiment. What made it nice was getting to hear their excitement as you were letting them know what was happening in real time and getting to hear their voices as they got excited about the results. It’s just a lot of fun.
Space is a risky business. Why do it?
I think most of us when we think about whatever it is we do, we don’t think of it in those terms. Space is risky, yes, but there’s a lot of other risky jobs out there. Whether it’s in the military, farming, jobs that involve heavy machinery or dangerous equipment… there’s all kinds of jobs that entail risk. Why do it? You do it because it appeals to you. You do it because it’s what gets you excited. It just feels right. We all have to go through a point in our lives where we figure out what we want to do and what we want to be. Sometimes we have to make decisions based on factors that maybe wouldn’t lead you down that choice if you had everything that you wanted, but in this particular case for me, it’s exactly where I want to be. From a risk standpoint, I don’t think of it in those terms.
Can you describe your crew mate Soichi Noguchi in one sentence?
There are many facets to Soichi Noguchi. I’m thinking about the movie Shrek. He has many layers! He’s very talented. He’s very well-thought. He’s very funny. He’s very caring. He’s very sensitive to other people’s needs and desires. He’s a dedicated family man. I could go on and on and on… so maybe like an onion – full of layers!
Star Trek or Star Wars?
I love them both. But can I say Firefly? There’s a TV series out there called Firefly. It lasted one season – kind of a space cowboy-type show. They did have a movie, Serenity, that was made as well. But anyway, I love both Star Wars and Star Trek. We’ve really enjoyed The Mandalorian. I mean who doesn’t love Baby Yoda right? It’s all fun.
How many times did you apply to be an astronaut? Did you learn anything on your last attempt?
I tried four times over the course of 13 years. My first three attempts, I didn’t even have references checked or interviews or anything. Remember what we talked about earlier, about patience? For my fourth attempt, the fact is, it happened when it was supposed to happen. I didn’t realize it at the time. I would have loved to have been picked on my first attempt like anybody would think, but at the same time, because I didn’t get picked right away, my family had some amazing experiences throughout my Air Force career. That includes living in Canada, living overseas in Italy, and having an opportunity to work at the Pentagon. All of those helped shape me and grow my experience in ways that I think helped me be a better astronaut.
Can you share your favorite photo or video that you took in space?
One of my favorite pictures was a picture inside the station at night when all of the lights were out. You can see the glow of all of the little LEDs and computers and things that stay on even when you turn off the overhead lights. You see this glow on station. It’s really one of my favorite times because the picture doesn’t capture it all. I wish you could hear it as well. I like to think of the station in some sense as being alive. It’s at that time of night when everybody else is in their crew quarters in bed and the lights are out that you feel it. You feel the rhythm, you feel the heartbeat of the station, you see it in the glow of those lights – that heartbeat is what’s keeping you alive while you’re up there. That picture goes a small way of trying to capture that, but I think it’s a special time from up there.
What personal items did you decide to pack for launch and why?
My wedding bands. I’m also taking up pilot wings for my son. He wants to be a pilot so if he succeeds with that, I’ll be able to give him his pilot wings. Last time, I took one of the Purple Hearts of a very close friend. He was a Marine in World War II who earned it after his service in the Pacific.
Thank you for your time, Mike, and good luck on your historic mission! Get to know a bit more about Mike and his Crew-1 crew mates Victor Glover, Soichi Noguchi, and Shannon Walker in the video above.
Watch LIVE launch coverage beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST on Nov. 14 HERE.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
Stop. Drop. And Apply to #BeAnAstronaut!
Feel like your place is in the stars? Are you an adventure seeker, an explorer, a person passionate about science and space? We need you!!
Applications are OPEN for our newest class of #Artemis astronauts. Once chosen, you could be the next person to step foot on the Moon and eventually embark on missions to Mars!
Do you have a friend who should apply? Tag them. Do you know someone who's still in school? Encourage them to follow their dreams and aim high.
To give you a sneak peak of what life will be like if you decide to #BeAnAstronaut, we’re taking you behind-the-scenes of astronaut life over the course of March.
APPLY NOW AND GET MORE INFORMATION HERE!
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
How had your background in the US Air Force as a flight test engineer prepare you for the challenges and demands of being an astronaut?
What is your advise to people who wanna be astronaut?
Hopefully not a total dumb question but, YOUR ultimate goal as an astronaut?
What is some advice that really helped you get to where you are now?
What was your reaction to getting selected for the Air Force Fellows program?
Astronaut in the house!
Air Force Colonel and NASA Astronaut Nick Hague is back from his seven month stay aboard the space station and ready to answer your questions in today's Tumblr Answer Time!
Let's get started.
What are you most excited to see on your next flight? Or, what natural phenomena do you enjoy seeing the most? Thank you!
What made you want to become a pilot for NASA? What’s your favorite part of this job?
Have you ever been scared while flying? What was the event that scared you the most?What's your favorite plane to fly?
Wonder what it’s like to fly for NASA Earth science expeditions? Ask our research pilot anything!
This January, we’re kicking off five new airborne Earth science expeditions aimed at studying our home planet from the land, sea and air. Here’s your chance to hear what it’s like from the cockpit!
Research pilot Dean “Gucci” Neeley will be taking your questions in an Answer Time session on Friday, January 10 from 12-1pm ET here on NASA’s Tumblr! Find out what it’s like to fly research aircraft that use the vantage point of space to increase our understanding of Earth, improve lives and safeguard our future! Make sure to ask your question now by visiting http://nasa.tumblr.com/ask!
Dean Neeley, retired U.S. Air Force officer and pilot, joined our Armstrong Flight Research Center in 2012 as a research pilot. Neeley flies a diverse array of highly modified airborne science, research and mission support aircraft such as the single-seat Lockheed ER-2 high-altitude science jet. The ER-2 collects information about Earth resources, celestial observations, atmospheric chemistry and dynamics and oceanic processes. Neeley has also flown the Gulfstream G-II mission support aircraft, which explores environmentally friendly aircraft concepts, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), which observes the solar system and beyond at mid- and far-infrared wavelengths, and the C-20A (G-III) science platform aircraft, which carries our Jet Propulsion Laboratory's synthetic aperture radar.
Dean Neeley Fun Facts
Dean’s call sign Gucci came from flying KC-10 “Gucci Boys” before being hired to fly U-2 aircraft. Some say he spends too much time/money on his hair, clothes, cars. 😂
He played drums in two rock bands in the 80s and 90s; Agent Orange and the Defoliants; The Mod Sky Gods.
He spent his years in the Air Force as a reconnaissance squadron commander, wing chief of safety, stealth fighter squadron director and bomber in multiple worldwide aerial combat campaigns.
Dean holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering and a Master of Aeronautical Science degree.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.
NASA and Veterans
November 11 each year is a day we honor those who have served in our nation’s armed forces.
Discover how we have close ties to the military, even to this day, and see who has traded in their camouflage uniform for an astronaut flight suit.
There have been veterans working for us since the beginning, even when it was still called the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).
Additionally, there are several active duty military members working at NASA facilities through special government programs.
Today, there are more than 1500 veterans currently employed with us. Their experiences in the military make their expertise invaluable around the agency. We value the unique leadership style they bring to the work place. Above and below are some astronaut veterans.
A Partnership for the Space Age
Since the early days of NASA, we’ve partnered with all branches of the military. We still work closely with the military today and rely on the expertise of our service members to support our missions both while in active duty and in the civilian workforce. Here are some examples of this close partnership:
The Marines helped with recovery efforts of Astronaut Alan Shepard at the end of his sub-orbital flight on May 5, 1961...a task performed across several of our missions.
Today, the Navy helps us recover spacecraft, just like the Orion space capsule...which will one day carry astronauts into deep space and eventually on our journey to Mars.
. . .and the Air Force has traditionally and continues to help us transport sensitive and critical space hardware around the globe.
The Coast Guard has even helped us access remote locations to collect oceanographic data as part of our efforts to study and learn more about the Earth.
We’ve partnered with the Army to use their unique capabilities at the Yuma Proving Ground to test the entry, descent and landing of our spacecraft systems.
To all the Veteran’s out there, we thank you for your service to America and your continued support of America’s space program.
Happy Veteran’s Day!
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com