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LTC Tanya Estes, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at The United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, New York. An Army astronaut nominee to NASA in 2004, 2009, and 2012, Tanya completed an Army Astronaut interview in 2007. Tanya earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (Aerospace) and received her commission from the United States Military Academy as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and was designated an Army Aviator in June 1996 as an Honor Graduate from her class. Upon completing the AH-64A Apache transition, she served a tour in Korea as a platoon leader in 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry followed by an assignment to 3rd Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment as the Battalion Intelligence Officer in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Upon returning from a deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina with 3-229th Aviation Regiment in support of Operation Joint Endeavor, Tanya assumed command of HHC 1st Battalion, 14th Aviation Regiment at Fort Rucker, Alabama wh

Aaron Persad completed his B.A.Sc. in 2006 at the University of Toronto (UofT) in the biomedical stream of Engineering Science . His undergraduate thesis with the Bone Interface Group at the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering investigated the effects of Shuttle launch vibrations on the proliferation, viability and conformation of stem cells derived from human umbilical cords; he was supervised by Professor John E. Davies. In 2004, Aaron worked as an intern with the Canadian Space Agency 's (CSA) Life and Physical Sciences division (now Space Science and Technology) under the direction of Dr. Marcus Dejmek, Program Scientist of Space Physical Sciences. Aaron’s duties included coordinating parabolic flight campaigns in the Falcon-20 aircraft with the National Research Council's Flight Research Laboratory , assisting investigators with their experiments while in freefall, building experiments for parabolic flights, and developing a portable mini-freefall d

Jamie Guined  currently serves as an Exercise Scientist with the University of Houston supporting the Neurosciences Laboratory at the NASA Johnson Space Center , a journey that has been fueled by a childhood dream of one day working at NASA to help further the human exploration of space.  Jamie’s journey with the U.S. space program began as an undergraduate intern at the NASA Kennedy Space Center where she completed an Exercise Science internship in the Center’s Space Life Sciences division.  Today, the focus of her research is to better understand how spaceflight produces changes to balance and gait control, and the development of effective countermeasures and training programs that will facilitate recovery and mobility after long-duration spaceflight. Prior to joining the Neuroscience Laboratory, Jamie served as an Exercise Scientist with the Exercise Physiology & Countermeasures Project  (ExPC), also at the NASA JSC, where she conducted physiologic, medical requirements, and

Dr. Michael Gallagher was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to a nurse and a geologist-turned renewable energy entrepreneur. His enthusiasm for space and desire to explore it first-hand crystallized after visiting a mock-up of the space shuttle at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago when he was six. After that, he was hooked. Michael obtained his NAUI Advanced SCUBA Diver’s license when he was thirteen. Later, he attended aviation space camps for two summers in Penhold, Alberta. He completed his solo flight at age sixteen. While not flying, he enjoyed acting and sea-rescue. He obtained his Canadian Private Pilot’s License when he was seventeen. At Queen's University , he earned a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Life Sciences . To broaden his worldview, he took classes in economics and international business. He spent time at Herstmonceux Castle in England studying European art history, politics of the European Union, and British history. While at Queen'

Dr. Jessica Cherry is a Research Associate Professor with a joint appointment between the International Arctic Research Center and the Institute of Northern Engineering , at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). She also runs a small business called Northern Science Services , for which she is a commercial, instrument-rated pilot specializing in research and mapping flights. The focus of Cherry’s research program at UAF is cold region hydrology and climate science. Before moving to Alaska, she received a B.A. in Economics, a M.A. in Physical Oceanography, and a Ph.D. in Climate Physics, all from Columbia University in New York City. During her undergraduate program, Cherry spent a semester at the Biosphere2 facility in Arizona and became fascinated by life support system research. After a stint on Wall Street as a ‘Quant’ on a weather derivatives desk, her Ph.D. was completed under a NASA Earth System Science Fellowship and included four research cruises. She moved to Alaska

David Ballinger is an airline transport helicopter pilot holding a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration on Global Aviation Management. An Air Force veteran, David served 14 years as a combat aviator on international operations globally. He has flown both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, amassing over 1800 hours on gliders, piston-engine light aircraft, single-engine jets, multi-engine transports, and 10 types of helicopters. An aspiring astronaut for as long as he can remember, David’s passion for aviation is only exceeded by his desire to fly in space. David served as the Chief Astronaut for an entry in the Ansari X-Prize sub-orbital commercial spaceflight competition from 2003 to 2005, and developed a comprehensive Astronaut Training Program for civilian astronauts as his Master of Arts Organizational Consulting Project. David has extensive experience in aviation and aerospace human factors, flight safety, and organizational leadership and trainin