Cmdr. Matthew Dominick is serving as commander for the Crew-8 mission, which launched from Launch Advanced 39A at NASA Kennedy House Heart in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, propelling the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The spacecraft additionally carried NASA astronauts Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps, together with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin.
Dominick shared that the immense duty assumed early in his naval aviation profession offered a pathway to NASA. He credit his deployments at sea with serving to put together him for all times in house.
“I’m an astronaut at the moment and, main this mission, because of the ability set that naval aviation taught me,” Dominick mentioned. “The immense duty that the Navy trains you to imagine and execute is superb. I typically take into consideration the belief that Navy leaders put in junior service members. NASA is trusting me to steer a mission to the Worldwide House Station, and that’s an immense duty. The ability units come from the U.S. Navy.”
Dominick was chosen by NASA to hitch the Astronaut Candidate Class in 2017. Previous to becoming a member of NASA, he accomplished greater than 1,600 hours of flight time in 28 plane, 400 carrier-arrested landings, 61 fight missions, and practically 200 flight check provider landings (arrested and touch-and-go).
“The Navy has a protracted historical past of coaching the fitting expertise that map immediately into what we do within the growth of spaceflight,” Dominick mentioned.
Dominick added that, of all of the branches of providers, the U.S. Navy has offered probably the most pathways for future astronauts. “The abilities required to stay and function on a ship map on to house,” he mentioned.
Dominick was designated as a naval aviator in 2007 and, after finishing flight college, reported to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106. Following his preliminary coaching, Dominick was assigned to VFA-143. He made two deployments to the North Arabian Sea, flying shut air help missions in help of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Dominick mirrored on his early experiences as a junior officer and school experiences earlier in his naval aviation profession.
“As a Lt. j.g., and flying shut air help missions, my flight lead acquired pulled off in a fight zone and gave me the authority for weapons launch,” Dominick mentioned, recalling the experiences he gained within the Navy in comparison with working in different industries. “The immense duty that the Navy trains you to imagine and execute is superb, and also you develop so quick.”
Whereas with VFA-143, Dominick was chosen to attend the Naval Postgraduate College, U.S. Naval Check Pilot College Cooperative Program, the place he earned a Grasp of Science in Programs Engineering and, upon commencement, was designated a developmental check pilot in 2013.
In his adolescence, Dominick was impressed by the film “Apollo 13,” which served because the inspiration to change into a NASA astronaut. He was motivated to pursue house exploration by observing superior groups of engineers fixing complicated issues and by the mentors and leaders all through his profession.
Dominick added that his naval experiences taught him the worth of displaying up ready to execute the mission.
“At NASA, we would like people who’re technically competent, work nicely in groups, and wish to discover. That possibility is on the market,” Dominick mentioned.
