Two remarkable ladies with links to Arizona have their eyes set on the moon.
Chris Birch, a native of Mesa and University of Arizona alum, is one of NASA’s newest astronauts. Eleven other candidates for astronauts, including Jessica Wittner, a fellow University of Arizona alum, are present with her.
Both women received official astronaut status on Tuesday at a graduation ceremony held at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. This means that they are now eligible to travel to the International Space Station and, eventually, the moon and Mars.
See the following for additional information about each NASA astronaut:
- Chris (Christina) Birch was born and raised in Gilbert, Arizona. She earned degrees in mathematics, biochemistry, and molecular biophysics from the University of Arizona in Tucson. She taught bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside, and scientific writing and communication at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, after receiving her doctorate in biological engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After that, she quit her job in academics to join the U.S. National Team as a track cyclist.
- Jessica Wittner California native Jessica Wittner, a lieutenant commander in the US Navy, has a remarkable career as a naval aviator and test pilot while on active duty. Her master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Arizona in Tucson are held by her. Wittner served operationally flying F/A-18 fighter jets with Strike Fighter Squadrons 34 at Virginia Beach, Virginia, and 151 in Lemoore, California. He was commissioned as a navy officer through an enlisted-to-officer program. She was employed by Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 in China Lake, California, as a test pilot and project officer. She was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.
