1. Chris Cassidy achieved the rank of captain in the US Navy.
34 Facts About Christopher Cassidy
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Christopher Cassidy was the Chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA from July 2015 until June 2017.
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Christopher Cassidy was born in Salem, Massachusetts on January 4,1970.
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Christopher Cassidy then graduated from the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1989.
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Christopher Cassidy received a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics at the United States Naval Academy in 1993 and a Master of Science degree in ocean engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2000.
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Christopher Cassidy served for ten years as a member of the Navy SEALs.
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Christopher Cassidy made four six-month deployments: two to Afghanistan, and two to the Mediterranean Sea.
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Christopher Cassidy served as Executive Officer and Operations Officer of Special Boat Team 20 in Norfolk, Virginia, and SEAL Platoon Commander at SEAL Team 3 in Coronado, California.
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Christopher Cassidy served as Ground Assault Force Commander for international and US-only combat missions in Afghanistan.
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Christopher Cassidy led two months of non-compliant ship-boardings in the Northern Persian Gulf.
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Christopher Cassidy was a SEAL Delivery Vehicle platoon commander at SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two in Norfolk.
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Christopher Cassidy accumulated over 200 hours underwater as pilot, navigator, or mission commander of a two-man flooded submersible SDV, which is launched and recovered from a host-ship submarine.
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Christopher Cassidy served as drydeck shelter platoon commander at SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two in Norfolk.
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Christopher Cassidy volunteered for and completed a week-long, 180-mile charity kayak paddle from Norfolk, Virginia to Washington, DC to raise money and awareness for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
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Christopher Cassidy was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in May 2004.
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In February 2008, Christopher Cassidy was assigned to his first spaceflight as a mission specialist on STS-127, a Space Shuttle mission to deliver the Exposed Facility of the Japanese Experiment Module to the ISS aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour.
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On July 22,2009, Christopher Cassidy stepped outside the ISS with NASA astronaut David Wolf for his first spacewalk.
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On July 31,2009, Christopher Cassidy returned to the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, wrapping up his first spaceflight after 15 days in space.
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Christopher Cassidy was assigned to the Expedition 35 crew as a flight engineer and flew to the ISS aboard Soyuz TMA-08M, which launched on March 28,2013.
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Christopher Cassidy was named Chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA in July 2015, succeeding Bob Behnken.
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On June 2,2017, Cassidy was replaced by Patrick G Forrester as Chief of the Astronaut Office and was returned to normal flight status.
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Christopher Cassidy launched onboard Soyuz MS-16 on April 9,2020, as part of Expedition 62.
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Christopher Cassidy was the ISS commander for Expedition 63, which consisted of Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Ivan Vagner and Anatoli Ivanishin.
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Christopher Cassidy was joined by fellow NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on May 31,2020, with the docking of Crew Dragon Demo-2.
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Christopher Cassidy joined the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation as President and CEO in August 2021 after retiring from the Navy and the NASA Astronaut Corps earlier that year.
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Christopher Cassidy serves as an advisor for New Vista Acquisition Corp, a Special Purpose Acquisition Company.
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Christopher Cassidy was a guest speaker at the USNA Combat Leadership Seminars in 2003 and 2004.
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Christopher Cassidy was awarded a second Bronze Star for combat leadership service in 2004 during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
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Christopher Cassidy achieved this when his crewmates so designated him during the STS-127 mission.
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Christopher Cassidy is the second SEAL to fly in space, following William Shepherd, a veteran of four missions.
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Christopher Cassidy is married to the former Peggy Yancer from Elyria, Ohio.
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Christopher Cassidy is a licensed amateur radio operator, holding US Technician level license KF5KDR.
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Christopher Cassidy has participated in several Amateur Radio on the International Space Station events with students in the United States.
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Christopher Cassidy announced his retirement from both the Navy and NASA Astronaut Corps on May 28,2021.