Space Force's Sole Astronaut Recounts Transition from Fighter Jets to Orbiting Vehicles
On a Cosmic Journey: The Unique Advantage of Military Astronauts
Last year, Space Force Colonel Nick Hague, moments away from making history as the first active-duty Guardian to blast off into space, found himself facing a curveball. His mission, originally planned as a four-person crew, was suddenly reduced to a two-member team: the rescue of two astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station.
For just a fortnight, Hague and his fellow cosmonaut, Aleksandr Gorbunov, underwent a grueling intensification of training, this time preparing to return Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams using SpaceX's Dragon capsule, a spacecraft they'd never flown before. Hague described the transition from the 1960s-era Soyuz to the futuristic Dragon, boasting advanced automation, as day and night.
In September, their mission launched, and they spent six months collaborating with the other two astronauts on the orbiting station. Come March, all four returned safely to Earth, off the coast of Florida. "If you look at my spaceflight history, everything is a surprise. It's full of ups and downs," Hague said, reflecting on his 12-year career as an astronaut.
Lessons from the Final Frontier
Hague embodies NASA's growing alliance with the Defense Department as the US enters a fresh space race. Guardians have much to learn from civil space, and can reciprocate with their unique military perspective, as world powers vie for dominance in the cosmos, Hague explained to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Hague hasn't been shy about his arduous journey to NASA. He applied three times over a decade, getting rejected twice before snagging the coveted astronaut wings in 2013. "The year that I got selected, there were some 6,000 people that applied, and they picked eight," Hague disclosed. NASA chooses new astronauts based on the right mix of skills, but also on their ability to meet stringent medical and physical standards, minimizing potential complications during a mission.
Being an Airman or Guardian offers certain advantages in the cutthroat competition to join the astronaut corps. Many astronauts first served as military test pilots, a fact recognized by NASA, who prioritize a harmonious balance of experience and diverse perspectives. The job demands agility and dexterity, as maintenance constitutes a significant proportion of work in orbit.
"You train for the nominal about 5% of the time, and then you spend 95% of the time training for everything that's going to go wrong," Hague elucidated. His career began in earnest as an Airman, flying F-16 and F-15 fighters, T-38 training jets, and even spending five months in Iraq.
That military experience boosted his value with NASA, as much of it was applicable. "It gave me a lot of opportunities that I'm not sure I would have been afforded if I hadn't served in the military," Hague admitted. "In a stressful environment, can you perform? Are you adaptable?"
His background proved crucial during his first mission in 2018 when, with Roscosmos astronaut Alexey Ovchinin, the Soyuz rocket endured a critical malfunction just 90 seconds after liftoff. Their automated systems managed their safe separation from the booster, and they landed successfully in Kazakhstan. Hague then returned to the skies only five months later, spending 203 days aboard the ISS conducting a myriad of experiments. In total, he's spent over a year in space.
"Everything changes. The gravity's not compressing my spine, so it straightens out and decompresses slightly, and I grew an inch and a half to two inches while up there," Hague reflected. Life without gravity even affected his perception of direction, relying on visual cues as there was no way to tell which way was up.
During his subsequent time in orbit, Hague's research projects ranged from sequencing DNA to identify microbes sampled from the station, to studying stem cells in microgravity. During a previous assignment, he even worked on 3D-printing human tissue and editing genes to explore new treatments for diseases. He also donated blood samples to help scientists better understand spaceflight's impact on the immune system. "You raise your hand and say, 'I'm going to be the guinea pig, and you can do your experiments on me,'" he said.
For these astronauts, returning home doesn't spell the end of their journey. Hague spent two months rehabilitating, recuperating from the effects of space, like the increased height he'd gained thanks to living without gravity for months. It takes time to adjust to carrying one's own weight again and to accommodate gravity's influence once more.
A Symbiotic Alliance
The military has been integral to America's civil space program since its inception. The first astronauts were all Air Force, Navy, and Marine aviators, and Hague continues this legacy as the first Space Force Guardian to launch beyond Earth's atmosphere. Colonel Michael Hopkins transitioned from the Air Force to the Space Force on the Space Force's first birthday in December 2020.
The Space Force monitors over 47,000 objects in orbit, including satellites and space debris, alerting space system operators, like NASA, when a risk of collision emerges. NASA relies on the Space Force's GPS system for orientation and position, just as other operators do, and the Space Force oversees mission launches.
"While I'm up there, I constantly have this protective umbrella," Hague said of the Guardians watching over space domain awareness. The ISS orbits Earth at 17,500 mph. "I don't launch to space without the Space Force; I can't operate my station without the Space Force."
The Space Force also benefits from NASA research. In April, Space Systems Command partnered with NASA to send six experiments to the ISS. These research projects focus on space radiation detection, studying lightning in Earth's atmosphere, and assessing space weather conditions. These experiments will stay on the ISS for a year, generating data to bolster the Space Force's capabilities to protect satellites and improve their reliability.
"There are many ways that we are trying to figure out and actually taking advantage of this cross-pollination," Hague said. "The skills necessary to operate and perform those two missions share a lot in common."
For long-term joint training, NASA's Johnson Space Center's payloads office integrates Defense Department research aboard the ISS. Guardians assigned to NASA bring back invaluable experience and exposure to its culture, operations, and best practices. "You're going to learn a ton while you're there," Hague said. "It's also about how we find opportunities for NASA engineers and civilians to be able to participate in learning how the Space Force does what it does, so they can bring lessons back to NASA in the other direction. That cross-pollination is a big focus."
With NASA's continued mission on the ISS and its ambitions to return to the Moon and beyond, will future Guardians get the opportunity to follow in Hague's footsteps?
"The skills that make you effective for the Space Force mission ... are very applicable at NASA," Hague said. "You're doing, on a daily basis, things that NASA is doing, but you also bring this different set of experience and background... that could make you a really attractive candidate."
- Colonel Hague's space journey, as a Space Force Guardian, underscores the growing synergy between NASA's civil space activities and the Defense Department, particularly in the context of a renewed space race.
- Colonel Hague's military background, as an Air Force test pilot prior to joining NASA, has proven to be an advantageous blend of skills and perspectives that NASA values for the demanding role of an astronaut.
- The Space Force plays a crucial role in supporting space missions, offering space domain awareness, monitoring over 47,000 objects in orbit, and providing essential systems like GPS for orientation and position to civil space organizations, such as NASA.
- The Space Force benefits from NASA's research as well, with the participants from both organizations engaging in collaborative projects designed to enhance the Space Force's ability to protect satellites, improve satellite reliability, and analyze space weather conditions.
- NASA's Johnson Space Center aims to facilitate long-term joint training by integrating Defense Department research aboard the ISS, encouraging a symbiosis where Guardians can learn from NASA's practices, while similarly empowering NASA engineers to learn from the Space Force's operational methods.
