Naval Academy Astronaut Launched Into Orbit, Visits Space Station

MERRITT ISLAND, FL — A NASA astronaut who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy was recently launched into orbit.

Retired Navy Capt. Stephen Bowen is one of four astronauts on the mission. The crew will conduct more than 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations aboard the International Space Station.

The team blasted off last Thursday at 12:34 a.m., departing the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the SpaceX Dragon. The crew reached the space station Friday at 1:40 a.m. after 25 hours of flight.

Bowen served as the commander of the group, dubbed SpaceX Crew-6.

Bowen, a member of the class of 1986, is the second Naval Academy alum currently aboard the space station. He will join astronaut Nicole A. Mann, who graduated in 1999.

"It's clear that the sky is not the limit for our graduates," the Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation said on Facebook.

This is Bowen's fourth time in space. His previous trips came in 2008, 2010 and 2011 when he worked on space station construction.

The 59-year-old has logged more than 40 days in space. He has also completed seven spacewalks totaling 47 hours and 18 minutes.

Bowen was born in Cohasset, Massachusetts where he graduated from Cohasset High School in 1982.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the Naval Academy four years later.

In 1993, Bowen finished a Master of Science in Ocean Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program.

Bowen served on Navy submarines and qualified for command of nuclear-powered subs.

In 2000, Bowen became the first submarine officer selected as a NASA mission specialist. He was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Station Operations Branch after he completed two years of training.

Bowen is married to the former Deborah Alden. The couple has three children.

To learn more about the mission, read this SpaceX story. Visit this link to see Bowen's full biography.

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