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| |  | | | Meet NASA's Future Explorer - Chris Cassidy
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10.07.04
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What's it like to wake up one morning and realize that you've been invited to explore the Universe? The members of the 2004 Astronaut Candidate Class have had several months to contemplate that question. Join us in this series of video interviews with eight members of the class and share in their excitement as they become part of NASA's vision for space exploration.
Image above: The 11-member 2004 class of astronauts and three Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronauts. Pictured are (first row, left to right), Bobby Satcher, Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, Chris Cassidy, Ricky Arnold, Randy Bresnik and Tom Marshburn; (second row) Akihiko Hoshide, Shannon Walker, Joe Acaba, Jim Dutton , Shane Kimbrough, Satoshi Furukawa, Jose Hernandez and Naoko Yamazaki.
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Christopher (Chris) Cassidy - Mission Specialist
Chris, a Navy SEAL, has done two tours of duty in Afghanistan. He's married and has three children, all of whom, he says, are excited to move to Houston.
Image to right: NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy (left) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa assemble their survival gear into a makeshift backpack during land survival training in Maine. Credit: NASA
Chris grew up in York, Maine, where he played basketball at York High School. He also attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, R.I. His Navy career has taken him across the country and around the world, from Norfolk, Va. on the east coast to San Diego, Calif. on the west. After the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the Navy sent him to Afghanistan.
Chris is "more excited than ever" by the new Vision for Space Exploration and is thrilled at the timing of his selection. By the time NASA is ready to return humans to the Moon, he says, he'll be ready.
An Interview with Astronaut Candidate Chris Cassidy:
There was excitement in the air at the Cassidy home when the phone call came with the news that Chris had been selected as a member of the 2004 Astronaut Candidate Class. Listen as Chris describes the moment.
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Chris's Navy Seal training was one of the hardest things that he's ever had to do. He talks about working hard to get through difficult situations.
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There were several people in Chris's life who influenced him. In this part of the interview he talks about teachers who made a difference in his life.
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"I was attracted to NASA for the mystique of traveling into space. I want to contribute to the agency's mission in any way I can. I hope to be the next guy on the moon."
-- Chris Cassidy
Image to right: NASA's newest class of astronauts gather for a group photo at the conclusion of their land survival training at the Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine. Chris is third from the left on the front row. Credit: NASA
Full Interview
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Astronaut Candidate Chris Cassidy
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