Major Andrew R. Morgan, M.D. U.S. Army

Major Andrew R. Morgan, M.D. U.S. Army

Major Morgan's specialty is Emergency Medicine where he is Board Certified and licensed in Nebraska and Virginia.  He went to medical school at the Uniformed Services University of The Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD and graduated in 2002.   He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy.   He has experience as an emergency physician and flight surgeon for the Army special operations community, and currently is completing a sports medicine fellowship.

To round out the astronaut class is a flight surgeon.

Jessica U. Meir, Ph.D

Jessica U. Meir, Ph.D

She has a PhD from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (University of California, San Diego) in Marine Biology and her dissertation was titled Blood oxygen transport and depletion: they key of consummate divers.  She also has a MS from the International Space University in Space Studies as well as a BA in Biology from Brown University.  She her  Post doc research at in comparative physiology at the University of British Columbia where she studied the diving physiology and behavior of emperor penguins in Antarctica and the physiology of bar-headed geese, which are able to migrate over the Himalayas.

Current Job: Assistant Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital

 The most interesting I think Dr. Meir has been involved in is NEEMO 4, which she was a member of the NASA Aquanaut Crew. 

As for guessing the civilian astronaut's call signs' I am going to go with Penguin for Dr. Meir.

Major Anne C. McClain U.S. Army

 Major Anne C. McClain U.S. Army

"Major Anne C. McClain, 34, from Spokane, WA, is a graduate of Gonzaga Preparatory School. She also attended Saint George’s School.

McClain said she fell in love with flying at a young age and grew up attending air shows at Fairchild Air Force Base.

She eventually left Spokane and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.; the University of Bath and the University of Bristol, both in the United Kingdom.

McClain is an OH-58 helicopter pilot, and she recently graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station, Patuxent River.

“I love the international cooperation,” said McClain. “And really to me just being part of team human. And exploring beyond our earth is just intrinsically satisfying. And when you couple that with engineering and flight and really just being on the cutting edge of everything that humans have done is just so exciting and there's nothing that compares.”

From http://www.krem.com

Major Nicole Mann (USMC)

Major Nicole Mann (USMC) is a Mann is an F/A 18 pilot, currently serving as an Integrated Product Team Lead at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River.  She is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a graduate degree from Stanford.

Major Nicole Mann USMC

 From the United States Naval Academy Foundation, 2011 Issue 1, "Major Nicole Anuapu Mann ’99, USMC, who starred on the women’s soccer team and was Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1999, still draws on her playing days for coach Carin Gabarra. Mann is a Marine Corps test pilot with well over 1,000 flight hours. “Playing sports at the Academy forced you into situations where you had to learn leadership skills,” Mann said. “Getting ready to play a game equals the same kind of feeling I get before I fly.You’re strapped into a 40,000-pound jet, headed for a mission over Iraq or Afghanistan. You’re nervous and excited and it’s game time. It’s time to perform. Then, you take off and you’re playing in the moment.”

Sounds like she was a pretty good athlete in college, similar to Lt. Com. Glover who was a two sport D-1 athlete.
 

Lt. Commander (USN) Victor J. Glover

Lt. Commander (USN) Victor J. Glover

Current Job: Navy Legislative Fellow in the U.S. Congress and Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy

"Victor is a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy and Naval Aviator currently serving as a Legislative Fellow. He has flown over 40 aircraft accumulating over 2000 flight hours, 400 carrier landings, and 24 combat missions supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Victor was most recently stationed in Japan, deploying to various locations in the Western Pacific. Previously serving as a test pilot he was awarded the 2009 Black Engineer of the Year Awards, Modern Day Technology Leaders Award. Victor was commissioned in the Navy via Officer’s Candidate School, where he served as the Regimental Commander.

As an undergraduate at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo he was a NCAA Division-I Wrestler & Football player, led efforts to establish the first student-funded outreach and retention center in the California Public University system, and was awarded the College of Engineering Service to the Community Award. Victor earned graduate degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School, Air University, and the Air Command and Staff College with distinction.

He is an advocate for youth traditionally underrepresented in higher education, a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, a life-member of the Tailhook Association, serves on the Cal Poly College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council, is a mentor for Ever Forward (Siempre Adelante), and dreams of becoming a master Djembe drummer." From his Linkedin page. 

I think his summery in his own words describes this guy enough.  The one thing I have to point out is that he wants to become a master Djembe drummer. 

This is a Djembe Drum

Maybe he can join Max Q the all astronaut band.

Lt. Colonel (USAF) Tyler N. Hague

Lt. Colonel (USAF) Tyler N. Hague

Current Job: Deputy Chief of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization

The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization is a joint ly operated organization of the U.S. Department of Defense to reduce or eliminate the effects of all forms of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used against U.S. and allied forces.  You can read its wiki page HERE. 

He flew with the 416th Test Squadron and developed technology to discover IEDs and used it real time while deployed in at  Balad Air Base, Iraq.  More can be read HERE.

He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a BS in astronautical engineering. 

He also graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards, Calif.

Christina M. Hammock

Christina M. Hammock

 

Current Job: Station Chief at
 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in American Samoa

Her Past Jobs include:

• Electronics and Instrument Technician at Polar Field Services, Raytheon Polar Services, NOAA
• Electrical Engineer at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
• Research Associate at Raytheon Polar Services

• Electrical Engineer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

She has a BS in Electrical Engineering, Physics and a MS in Electrical Engineering all from North Carolina State University.  She has spent time in Summit Station Greenland, Palmer Station Antarctica and, Barrow, Alaska while working for NOAA and Raytheon Polar Services.
 Station Chief in American Samoa. 

All ASCANs get flight signs, my guess will be something to due with ice, maybe Ice Woman.

Josh A. Cassada, Ph.D

Josh Cassada, PhD. from nasa.gov

His current job is being the Chief Technology Officer at Quantum Opus, LLC.

 "Quantum Opus is a small, privately held Limited Liability Company (LLC) based in Albion, Michigan that is committed to the goal of providing novel products and services to enable researchers to make single-photon measurements with unmatched sensitivity, speed, and precision."  More about it HERE

His past jobs have been:

• Chief of Flight Operations/P-8A Acceptance Pilot at DCMA Boeing Seattle
• Instructor Pilot at U.S. Naval Test Pilot School
• Test Pilot at Air Test and Evaluation Squadron TWO ZERO

• P-3C Patrol Plane Commander/Mission Commander/Instructor Pilot at Patrol Squadron EIGHT
• Research Assistant/Postdoctoral Fellow at the Collider Detector Facility (CDF) at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
• Graduate Teaching Assistant in Undergraduate Physics at University of Rochester

• Space Physics Research Intern at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center 

 You can check out his Linkedin profile HERE

From what I can see is that Dr. Cassada is a research physicist that was a test pilot for the Navy and Boeing.  No wonder he stood out to the Astronaut selection board.

I will continue to publish short bios of each of the ASCANs in the class for the information of them that I can find.

NASA Selects Astronaut Class of 2013, Group 21

The astronaut candidates are:

Josh A. Cassada, Ph.D., 39, is originally from White Bear Lake, Minn.
Cassada is a former naval aviator who holds an undergraduate degree
from Albion College, and advanced degrees from the University of
Rochester, N.Y. Cassada is a physicist by training and currently is
serving as co-founder and Chief Technology Officer for Quantum Opus.

Victor J. Glover, 37, Lt. Commander, U.S. Navy, hails from Pomona,
Calif., and Prosper, Texas. He is an F/A-18 pilot and graduate of the
U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards, Calif. Glover holds
degrees from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis
Obispo, Calif.; Air University and the Naval Postgraduate School,
Monterey, Calif. He currently is serving as a Navy Legislative Fellow
in the U.S. Congress.

Tyler N. (Nick) Hague, 37, Lt. Colonel, U.S. Air Force, calls Hoxie,
Kan., home. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado
Springs, Colo.; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge,
Mass., and the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards, Calif.
Hague currently is supporting the Department of Defense as Deputy
Chief of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization.

Christina M. Hammock, 34, calls Jacksonville, N.C., home. Hammock
holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from North Carolina State
University, Raleigh, N.C. She currently is serving as National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Station Chief in
American Samoa.

Nicole Aunapu Mann, 35, Major, U.S. Marine Corps, originally is from
Penngrove, Calif. She is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy,
Stanford University and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Patuxent
River, Md. Mann is an F/A 18 pilot, currently serving as an
Integrated Product Team Lead at the U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent
River.

Anne C. McClain, 34, Major, U.S. Army, lists her hometown as Spokane,
Wash. She is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point,
Va.; the University of Bath and the University of Bristol, both in
the United Kingdom. McClain is an OH-58 helicopter pilot, and a
recent graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air
Station, Patuxent River.

Jessica U. Meir, Ph.D., 35, is from Caribou, Maine. She is a graduate
of Brown University, has an advanced degree from the International
Space University, and earned her doctorate from Scripps Institution
of Oceanography. Meir currently is an Assistant Professor of
Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital,
Boston.

Andrew R. Morgan, M.D., 37, Major, U.S. Army, considers New Castle,
Pa., home. Morgan is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point, and earned a doctorate of medicine from the Uniformed Services
University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md. He has experience as
an emergency physician and flight surgeon for the Army special
operations community, and currently is completing a sports medicine
fellowship.




The new astronaut candidates will begin training at NASA's Johnson
Space Center in Houston in August. 

A detail look in the ASCANs (astronaut candidates) will be coming later today.  You can also check out: Astronaut Class 2013 

Update to 2013 Astronaut Class Selection

All the phone calls have gone out, now its just waiting for NASA to pick the time they will announce who they selected. 

NASA Astronaut Group 21, the class of 2013 is rumored to only be about 8 people strong.

As I said in my earlier post, I do not know anyone selected but I will keep asking around.