In Pelligreine Auditorium this past Tuesday, Jan. 31, NASA astronaut and SJU alumnus Lt. Col. Mark Vande Hei gave a presentation about the realities of being an astronaut. He wanted his audience to know that being an astronaut is not just a childhood fantasy like being a superhero or a princess, in that it can actually happen. He touched on the space program and what NASA is doing today, but the majority of his presentation explained his personal journey and what it took to become an astronaut.
Originally from Falls Church, Va., Lt. Col. Mark Vande Hei graduated from a high school in St. Louis Park, Minn. and came to SJU through an ROTC scholarship. Though originally did not know what he wanted to do with his degree, he went on to graduate in 1989 with a major in physics because he thought it would be challenging. His hope was that when he did decide what he wanted to do with his life, people would believe he could do it. After some time in the Army, stationed in Italy, Iraq and Colorado, he was recruited to teach physics at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. In order to do so, he attended Stanford and received his Masters in applied physics. In 2003, he reported to the Army’s 1st Space Battalion at Peterson Air Force Base to serve as the space support team leader, until he went to serve in Iraq for a year. Following his return he was recruited by NASA to work as a spacecraft communicator at the Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, where he worked as the International Space Station Capsule Communicator for more than ten expeditions. After a grueling and drawn-out application process, in 2009 he was selected as a member of the 20th Astronaut Class. Now, after two years of training in fields ranging from geology to Russian, he is eligible for future flight assignments and could potentially be one of the next men in space.
The journey from the dorms of SJU to the halls of NASA has been a long one, but when asked what it took to get there; Vande Hei replied that it was not always striving towards a lofty goal that did the trick. He lives by the simple practice of continually pushing yourself, and by placing himself in new and challenging situations he has been presented with the opportunities that led to becoming an astronaut. Risking new opportunities was critical to his success, and he claims that he might not be where he is today if it were not for some of these choices.
Lt. Col. Mark Vande Hei’s message stressed that nothing is out of reach, and that by striving to do your best and pushing yourself to your limits, you never know what you can accomplish.