Albion College Grad Takes A Stroll In Outer Space

Albion College’s astronaut Josh Cassada took a stroll in outer space Tuesday, November 15th. The Class of ‘95 graduate joined fellow space traveler Frank Rubio to install the final ISS Rollout Solar Array bracket on the Starboard Truss at the International Space Station. The excursion was the first spacewalk for both astronauts and lasted a whopping 7 hours and 11 minutes. 

 Cassada piloted the SpaceX Dragon Endurance that carried Crew 5 to the space station, for a 6-month stay. He earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Albion College in 1995 and his Ph.D. at the University of Rochester, where he conducted experimental high-energy physics research at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. 

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Flying high is not a new thing for Cassada, but walking in space at 254 miles above Earth is taking his endeavors to a new level. After completing his graduate work, he was commissioned as a naval officer in 2000. In 2001 he completed flight training and piloted an impressive list of aircraft including the P-3 Orion, P8 Poseidon, T-38 Talon, and T-6 Texan. He was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, and in 2006 he graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. It was in 2013 when he was selected for NASA Astronaut Group 21. In addition to his military career Cassada, along with Aaron Miller and Holly Miller who were classmates from Albion College, founded Quantum Opus, a superconducting instrument manufacturer. It will be in the Spring of 2023 when the space adventure ends and the Crew 5 members return to this cosmic mudball that we call Earth.