Space Case: Nassau Native Among Select 12 Chosen As NASA Astronaut Candidates

A Baldwin native has been named one of 12 astronaut candidates by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, beating out a record-number of other applicants. According to NASA, more than 18,300 people applied to be astronauts. But Jasmin Moghbeli, a major in the Marine Corps, was one of the 12 exceptionally talented men and women who were selected.

Moghbeli and her fellow candidates will start training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas in August. If they complete their two years of training, they will be eligible to participate in NASA space missions.

"We look forward to the energy and talent of these astronauts fueling our exciting future of discovery," said acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot. "Between expanding the crew on board the space station to conduct more research than ever before, and making preparations to send humans farther into space than we’ve ever been, we are going to keep them busy. These candidates are an important addition to the NASA family and the nation’s human spaceflight team."

Moghbeli was born in Bad Nauheim, Germany, but grew up in Baldwin and graduated from Baldwin High School. After high school, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering with Information Technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and then a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. She later graduated from the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland. When she was selected for the astronaut program, she was test-flying H-1 helicopters and serving as the quality assurance and avionics officer for Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 of the U.S. Marine Corps in Yuma, Arizona.

She has been a pilot for years and has extensive experience in the air. According to NASA, she has more than 1,600 hours of flight time and has flown 150 combat missions.

Photo: NASA