Mark Vande Hei

NASA Astronaut Mark Vande Hei, selected by NASA in 2009, has flown twice to the International Space Station supporting two long-duration missions and logging a total of 523 days in space. During his two missions he participated in hundreds of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations. He also spent 26 hours and 42 minutes working outside the station conducting spacewalks. Prior to joining NASA, he served as an assistant professor of physics at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point. A retired Colonel, he was originally commissioned in the U.S. Army through the ROTC program and served two tours in Iraq. Vande Hei earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Saint John’s University and a Master of Science in Applied Physics from Stanford University.