DVIDS – News – NASA Astronaut discusses how Naval Aviation Experiences prepared him for Space

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – An active-duty naval aviator and astronaut led NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the Worldwide House Station on Sunday, crediting his naval aviation expertise with making ready him for management in house.

Cmdr. Matthew Dominick is serving as commander for the Crew-8 mission, which launched from Launch Complicated 39A at NASA Kennedy House Heart in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, propelling the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The spacecraft additionally carried NASA astronauts Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps, together with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin.

Dominick shared that the immense duty assumed early in his naval aviation profession supplied a pathway to NASA. He credit his deployments at sea with serving to put together him for all times in house.

“I’m an astronaut in the present day and, main this mission, as a result of ability set that naval aviation taught me,” Dominick stated. “The immense duty that the Navy trains you to imagine and execute is wonderful. I typically take into consideration the belief that Navy leaders put in junior service members. NASA is trusting me to steer a mission to the Worldwide House Station, and that’s an immense duty. The ability units come from the U.S. Navy.”

Dominick was chosen by NASA to affix the Astronaut Candidate Class in 2017. Previous to becoming a member of NASA, he accomplished greater than 1,600 hours of flight time in 28 plane, 400 carrier-arrested landings, 61 fight missions, and practically 200 flight check service landings (arrested and touch-and-go).

“The Navy has a protracted historical past of coaching the fitting expertise that map instantly into what we do within the growth of spaceflight,” Dominick stated.

Dominick added that, of all of the branches of providers, the U.S. Navy has supplied probably the most pathways for future astronauts. “The abilities required to reside and function on a ship map on to house,” he stated.

Dominick was designated as a naval aviator in 2007 and, after finishing flight faculty, reported to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106. Following his preliminary coaching, Dominick was assigned to VFA-143. He made two deployments to the North Arabian Sea, flying shut air help missions in help of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Dominick mirrored on his early experiences as a junior officer and faculty experiences earlier in his naval aviation profession.

“As a Lt. j.g., and flying shut air help missions, my flight lead obtained pulled off in a fight zone and gave me the authority for weapons launch,” Dominick stated, recalling the experiences he gained within the Navy in comparison with working in different industries. “The immense duty that the Navy trains you to imagine and execute is wonderful, and also you develop so quick.”

Whereas with VFA-143, Dominick was chosen to attend the Naval Postgraduate Faculty, U.S. Naval Check Pilot Faculty Cooperative Program, the place he earned a Grasp of Science in Methods Engineering and, upon commencement, was designated a developmental check pilot in 2013.

In his childhood, Dominick was impressed by the film “Apollo 13,” which served because the inspiration to turn out to be a NASA astronaut. He was motivated to pursue house exploration by observing superior groups of engineers fixing complicated issues and by the mentors and leaders all through his profession.

Dominick added that his naval experiences taught him the worth of exhibiting up ready to execute the mission.

“At NASA, we would like people who’re technically competent, work properly in groups, and wish to discover. That choice is on the market,” Dominick stated.