NASA's newest graduating class of astronauts includes 2 with Arizona ties

Marcus Reichley, Arizona Republic
·2 min read

NASA's newest class of astronauts includes two women with Arizona ties.

NASA recognized 10 graduates at a ceremony at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday. The graduates are now eligible for flight assignments, and NASA is searching for a new round of astronaut candidates.

Gilbert native and University of Arizona graduate Chris Birch is among the 10 new astronauts. Fellow Wildcat alum Jessica Wittner joins her. As NASA astronauts, they can be chosen for future missions to the International Space Station, the moon and Mars.

NASA's Artemis initiative plans to put the first woman and first person of color on the moon within a decade. The Artemis missions seek to map out the lunar surface better than ever before while also establishing a long-term presence on the moon, a quest for scientific discovery and potential economic benefit.

Meet the two women with Arizona ties who are now eligible to join NASA missions:

NASA astronaut Chris Birch poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
NASA astronaut Chris Birch poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Chris Birch was born in Mesa and grew up in Gilbert. She graduated from the University of Arizona, where she studied math, biochemistry and molecular biophysics. After earning a doctorate in biological engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she taught bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside, and scientific writing and communication at the California Institute of Technology. She left academia to become a track cyclist on the U.S. National Team.

NASA astronaut Jessica Wittner poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
NASA astronaut Jessica Wittner poses for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Jessica Wittner is a California native who graduated with a bachelor's in aerospace engineering from the University of Arizona and a master's in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Wittner was commissioned as a naval officer through an enlisted-to-officer commissioning program and has served operationally flying F/A-18s with VFA-34 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and VFA-151 in Lemoore, California. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, she also worked as a test pilot and project officer with VX-31 in China Lake, California.

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Reach the reporter at marcus.reichley@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NASA's newest astronauts include 2 with Arizona ties