Baltimore County Names Local Space Pioneer a Hero

County Executive Kevin Kamenetz presented a local astronaut with a Baltimore County Hero Pin Tuesday.

Reid Wiseman, 39, a native of Cockeysville, recently returned to Earth after approximately six months aboard the International Space Station.

“...his impressive career and remarkable journey started right here in our community,” Kamenetz said.

Wiseman graduated in the class of 1993 at Dulaney High School, which hosted a launch party to celebrate his ascent into space last May.

“At our own Dulaney High School, he learned the very science and math that would become the foundation for his truly astronomical career as an engineer, Navy aviator and space explorer,” Kamenetz added.

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Wiseman, who has a bachelor’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York and a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, is also a Navy aviator and veteran combat fighter pilot, graduating from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 2004. He went through astronaut training in 2011 and made his first ascent last spring.

Aboard the International Space Station, Wiseman was tasked with a mission that included space ship maintenance; 13 hours of spacewalking; and hundreds of hours of research in human physiology, medicine, physical science, Earth science and astrophysics, according to NASA.

Sharing photos and videos—Wiseman sent the first ever Vine from space—he tapped into Twitter as a way to stay connected to his growing fan base on Earth. He now has more than 370,000 Twitter followers.

“Two and a half years ago, I really didn’t even know what Twitter was. I’m one of the first rookies to do a long-duration space flight, and I really wanted to share that,” Wiseman explained in an interview with NASA.

“We are tremendously proud of Reid Wiseman,” said Kamenetz, presenting Wiseman with the Baltimore County Hero Pin during a ceremony at the Towson courthouse.

“We are just thrilled that one of Baltimore County’s own has traveled into space and welcome him back to Baltimore County with open arms,” Baltimore County Council Chair Cathy Bevins said.

Photo Credit: Baltimore County Government