Houston, Texas (January 16) – In a ceremony held last Friday at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, former MIT multi-sport student-athlete Jasmin Moghbeli '05 became a member of the first class of astronaut candidates to graduate under the Artemis program after completing two years of basic training. One of 13 graduates, she is now eligible for spaceflight, including assignments to the International Space Station, Artemis missions to the Moon, and ultimately, missions to Mars.

During her time at MIT, Moghbeli was a captain of the women's basketball team and was also a member of the women's lacrosse and women's volleyball teams. She earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering with information technology and went on to receive a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. A U.S. Marine Corps major, Moghbeli is also a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. She came to NASA from Yuma, Arizona, where she tested H-1 helicopters and served as the quality assurance and avionics officer for Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1.

All astronaut candidates completed training in spacewalking, robotics, International Space Station systems, T-38 jet proficiency, medicine, and Russian language. Moghbeli appreciated the diversity of the training and what her classmates learned: "When you're in space, you're a little bit of everything. You're the doctor, you're the dentist, you're a maintainer … so that's been really cool."

One of the most surprising things for Moghbeli during her training was discovering the difficulty of maneuvering in a spacesuit: "You watch astronauts do spacewalks and they make it look really smooth and really easy. However, the first time I got in, there was definitely a lot of doubt in my mind. It's unlike anything I've ever done before. It was really challenging because it pushes you to your limits, both mentally and physically."

Moghbeli's experience as a student-athlete played a significant role, not only during the application and interview process, but throughout her training. "As a member of the women's basketball team," she reflected, "there were times where we weren't winning many games. However, I think the team bond that we shared has stuck with me. It's hard to teach those team skills and I think sports are one of the great ways to do that."

The importance of teamwork was evident during Moghbeli's first week of training. She and her classmates arrived in Houston right before Hurricane Harvey hit the area, which fostered an environment for immediate bonding. "We formed small teams to go out into the community and help," Moghbeli recalled. "My classmates truly became a family to me, much like how sports teams have been in the past for me."

For current student-athletes who are interested in applying for the NASA Astronaut program, Moghbeli believes that being enrolled at MIT is a good start and to focus on your studies. "I think something we don't share enough is how important it is to just be kind to one another and lift each other up. One of the things I loved about MIT was that students help each other out, which is not necessarily the case at some of the top universities."

Moghbeli also touched upon her feelings of doubt, whether it was her own or from others. "For me, having my parents believe I could do something, that convinced me, which was so important." She continued, "Were there people that doubted me? Absolutely. There will always be people out there who doubt you. At the end of the day, you have to believe that you're doing what you love, and that will be enough to get you through. You're going to fail at some point, but just keep going."

As astronauts, NASA's newest graduates will help develop spacecraft, support the teams currently in space and ultimately join the ranks of only about 500 people who have had the honor of going into space. NASA continues its work aboard the International Space Station, which, in November 2020, will celebrate 20 consecutive years of human occupation. The agency also is on the verge of launching astronauts from American soil aboard American commercial spacecraft and preparing to send humans to the Moon as part of the Artemis program.

"We are now assignable to missions, but we've already started working within the office on ground jobs or technical jobs," said Moghbeli. "I work in exploration with a focus on the human landing system, which incorporates my test pilot and operational experience. It's very exciting that my first job at NASA is developing the lander that's going to take us to the moon."

Although she's still getting comfortable with having a presence on social media, Moghbeli values the opportunity. "It reaches a very wide audience, and a young audience, which we really want to engage." You can follow her journey on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @astrojaws.

STAY CONNECTED:

- For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.