Zena Cardman | |
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.jpg) Cardman in 2023 | |
| Born | Zena Maria Cardman (1987-10-26)October 26, 1987 (age 38) Urbana, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BS,MS) |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
Time in space | 117 days, 17 hours, 2 minutes [refresh] (currently in space) |
| Selection | NASA Group 22 (2017) |
| Missions | |
Mission insignia |    |
Zena Maria Cardman (born October 26, 1987) is an Americangeobiologist andNASA astronaut.
Cardman was born on October 26, 1987. She received aBachelor of Science degree in Biology from theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she majored inbiology, minored inchemistry andmarine sciences, and wrote an honors thesis in creative writing.[1]
Cardman's research took her to remote field sites from the Arctic to the Antarctic and included multiple offshore expeditions on board research ships.[2] While at the University of North Carolina, Cardman studied biogeochemistry in hydrocarbon seeps and hydrothermal vents. During that time, she also worked with thePalmer Long-Term Ecological Research Network inAntarctica.[3] She completed aMaster of Science degree with the research group of Dr. Andreas Teske.[2]
During her early career, Cardman supported NASA research in British Columbia, Idaho, and Hawaii, developing operational architectures for planetaryEVA.[1] She has sailed as an assistant engineer with theSea Education Association, working in the engine room of a brigantine. At the time of her selection in June 2017, Cardman was aNational Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and Doctoral Candidate in Geosciences atPennsylvania State University, studying geobiology and novel redox couples in Earth's subsurface.[4][5]
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Prior to her astronaut candidacy, Cardman worked in science and operations for the NASAPavilion Lake Research Project (2008–2015) and BASALT (2016–2017). In June 2017, she was selected as a member ofNASA Astronaut Group 22 and began her two-year training atJohnson Space Center in Houston.[6][7]
On January 31, 2024, NASA announced that Cardman would fly as commander of theSpaceX Crew-9 mission to theInternational Space Station.[8] However, when NASA decided to return theBoeing Starliner capsule on theBoeing Crew Flight Test uncrewed, Cardman was removed from Crew-9, along with mission specialist and fellow astronautStephanie Wilson, to make room on the return journey for the Starliner astronauts,Barry E. Wilmore andSunita Williams.[9] On September 28, 2024, she co-hosted NASA's coverage of the Crew-9 launch, along with NASA communicator Derrol Nail and a brief appearance by Wilson, commenting during the nearly five-hour broadcast at length on the experience thatNick Hague andRoscosmos cosmonautAleksandr Gorbunov were going through as they successfully launched fromCape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.[10]
On March 27, 2025, Cardman was announced as the commander of theSpaceX Crew-11 mission that launched on August 1, 2025.
As of August 27, 2025, Cardman is aboard the International Space Station conducting research, maintenance, and technology demonstrations.[11]
Her hobbies include rock climbing, caving, poetry, and power lifting.[6]
Cardman has received numerous academic awards, including aNational Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Royster Society Distinguished Graduate Fellowship, Chancellor's Award (UNC Chapel Hill) for Most Outstanding Senior Woman, andSpace Grant Consortium Fellowships.[6]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromAstronaut Zena Cardman.National Aeronautics and Space Administration. RetrievedNovember 21, 2024. (Official NASA biography).
People currently inlow Earth orbit | |||||
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| International Space Station (Expedition 73) |
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| Tiangong (Expedition 9) |
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NASA Astronaut Group 22, "The Turtles", 2017  | |||||||
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NASA Astronaut Group 21 ← NASA Astronaut Group 22 →NASA Astronaut Group 23 | |||||||
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Authority control databases: Academics |
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