(NASA photo)

Boys Nation alum named to lunar mission team

While military service is a common career for American Legion Boys Nation alumni, Air Force Col. Raja Chari has a chance to go above and beyond.

Literally.

Chari, who attended Boys Nation in 1994 after serving as governor of Iowa Boys State earlier that summer, is among the first 18 astronauts selected for NASA’s Artemis Team, whose goal is to land the first woman and next man on the moon in 2024 and establish a lunar base by the end of the decade.

While there’s no guarantee Chari will be among those going to the moon, he calls his selection to the initial team “a great honor, and a great responsibility too.”

“Just because we’re on that list doesn’t mean we’ll be on the missions, it means that we’re sort of the ones getting our hands dirty as we develop the hardware,” Chari said.

Among the preparations the Artemis Team is helping with are upgrades of launch facilities at Kennedy Space Center in Florida; development of a new rocket to launch the astronauts into space; development of the Orion space capsule to carry astronauts to lunar orbit and back to Earth; the Gateway, a station orbiting the moon; lunar landers; and new spacesuits.

NASA will announce flight assignments for astronauts later; other astronauts, including international partners, will join the group as needed, the agency noted when announcing the initial team in early December.

While Chari, like many kids, dreamed of being an astronaut when he was young, it wasn’t until he went into the Air Force that he gave the thought serious consideration.

“I’d say it was actually sort of a pendulum swing … as I got older, I started to think, ‘That’s silly, I’m not ever going to be an astronaut,’” he recalled. “And then the pendulum kind of swung back, I really think about the time I was in test pilot school, when it dawned on me that, I looked at the people who have been astronauts in the past and looked at my career, they’re actually kind of similar, I could actually do this astronaut thing and it’s not just some wacky dream, it actually has some basis in reality.”

NASA selected Chari for its 2017 astronaut candidate class.

“Even if I had never got the call in 2017 to come to Johnson (Space Center), I was still loving my job, I love the Air Force, still love the Air Force, I love being a test pilot. Obviously (this) is the icing on the cake,” he said.

Chari chose the Air Force Academy to both pursue his love of flying as well as giving back to the country which welcomed his immigrant father. And he credits the Air Force Academy, as well as American Legion Boys State and Boys Nation, as places where he was able to develop his leadership skills.

“I think doing Boys State and Boys Nation, for me, was a great combination of … not just learning about political science and how things work but actually getting to do that. I think the other big memory I have is of running the campaign to become governor down there at Boys State, pass legislation, getting to do all that in a very realistic sense and setting, and then getting to do a similar thing at Boys Nation. Just a great opportunity to see civics in action and how it actually plays out,” he said.

“I think the other thing Boys State offered, and Boys Nation, was a chance to actively practice leadership. Very similar, I think, to how the Air Force Academy formed me, it’s sort of a laboratory where you can try different styles and figure out what works and what doesn’t … in a place where there’s not real-world consequences.”

Chari also credited the veterans who volunteered at Iowa Boys State and Boys Nation for helping guide his future service.

“One of the things that sticks out with me is just the fervor of patriotism and love of country that the adults there had, and that sort of growing on you and understanding that being from their service. So I think for me, really cementing that thing I wanted to do because I thought flying would be neat, was also something that was very service-oriented, and that was really a big piece why I stayed as long as I did in the Air Force.

“Flying was great, don’t get me wrong, but what kept me coming back was the people and the mission,” Chari said. “I think I got my first taste of that at Boys State and Boys Nation.”

The Artemis Team members

Joseph Acaba was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2004. He has spent 306 days in space and performed three spacewalks. The Anaheim, Calif., native holds a bachelor’s degree in geology, as well as master’s degrees in geology and education. Before coming to NASA, he taught high school science and middle school math and science.
Kayla Barron was chosen as an astronaut in 2017. Originally from Richland, Wash., she earned a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering and a master’s degree in nuclear engineering. As a submarine warfare officer, Barron was a member of the first class of women commissioned into the submarine community. She is a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy.
Raja Chari joined the astronaut corps in 2017. A colonel in the U.S. Air Force, he was raised in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He received a bachelor’s degree in astronautical engineering and a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics. The U.S. Naval Test Pilot School graduate worked on F-15E upgrades and then the F-35 development program, before coming to NASA.
Matthew Dominick was chosen as an astronaut in 2017. Born in Wheat Ridge, Colo., he holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in systems engineering. He also graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and was a developmental test pilot specializing in aircraft carrier launches and landings before coming to NASA.
Victor Glover was selected as an astronaut in 2013. The Pomona, Calif., native and U.S. Navy Commander earned a bachelor’s degree in general engineering and master’s degrees in flight test engineering, systems engineering, and military operational art and science. He piloted the Crew-1 Dragon Resilience and is currently serving as an Expedition 64 flight engineer aboard the International Space Station.
Warren Hoburg joined the astronaut corps in 2017. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., he holds a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics, and a doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science. Before coming to NASA, he was an assistant professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a seasonal member of the Yosemite Search and Rescue team.
Jonny Kim came to NASA as part of the 2017 astronaut class. The Los Angeles native enlisted in the U.S. Navy following high school. He became a Navy SEAL before earning his commission and going back to school to pursue a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, followed by a doctor of medicine.
Christina Hammock Koch was selected as an astronaut in 2013 and holds the record for longest single spaceflight by a woman, with 328 days in space and six spacewalks. She grew up in Jacksonville, N.C., and received bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and physics, and a master’s degree in electrical engineering.
Kjell Lindgren was chosen as an astronaut in 2009. He spent 141 days in space and performed two spacewalks. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, he holds a bachelor’s degree in biology, a master’s degree in cardiovascular physiology and a doctor of medicine. Before becoming an astronaut, he was a flight surgeon supporting space shuttle and space station missions.
Nicole A. Mann joined the astronaut corps in 2013 and is currently training as pilot for the Crew Flight Test of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner. Born in Petaluma, Calif., she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering. The U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel was an F/A-18 fighter pilot and graduate from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.
Anne McClain, from Spokane, Wash., joined the astronaut corps in 2013. She has spent 204 days in space and conducted two spacewalks. The U.S. Army lieutenant colonel is a Senior Army Aviator and graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School as a helicopter test pilot. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical/aeronautical engineering, and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering and international relations.
Jessica Meir was chosen as an astronaut in 2013. She has spent 205 days in space and performed three spacewalks. A native of Caribou, Maine, she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology, a master’s degree in space studies, and a doctorate in marine biology. Before coming to NASA, she studied the physiology of animals in extreme environments.
Jasmin Moghbeli joined the astronaut corps in 2017. A major in the U.S. Marine Corps, she was raised in Baldwin, N.Y. She received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering. She also graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and tested H-1 helicopters before she came to NASA.
Kate Rubins was chosen as an astronaut in 2009 and is currently orbiting Earth on her second flight aboard the International Space Station. She was raised in Napa, Calif., and holds a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology and a doctorate in cancer biology. She was the first person to sequence DNA in space and has performed two spacewalks.
Frank Rubio was selected as part of the 2017 astronaut class. The U.S. Army lieutenant colonel considers Miami, Fla., his hometown. He earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a doctor of medicine. He served as both a Blackhawk helicopter pilot and a flight surgeon in the Army before coming to NASA.
Scott Tingle came to NASA to join the 2009 astronaut class. The U.S. Navy captain has spent 168 days in space and performed one spacewalk. He considers Randolph, Mass., his hometown and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering. He also graduated from the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School.
Jessica Watkins joined the astronaut corps in 2017. The Lafayette, Colo., native received a bachelor’s degree in geological and environmental sciences, and a doctorate in geology. Before becoming an astronaut, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology, where she served as a member of the science team for the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity.
Stephanie Wilson was chosen as an astronaut in 1996. A veteran of three space shuttle flights, she has spent 42 days in space. She was born in Boston and earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering science and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering. Before becoming an astronaut, she worked on the Galileo spacecraft at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.