TO BOLDLY GO

CASSADA, ’95, AND ALBION COLLEGE RIDE INTO HISTORY WITH SPACE LAUNCH

By Ward Mullens

Josh Cassada, ’95, realized his lifelong dream and made history Oct. 5 when the SpaceX Dragon rocket carrying him and the rest of CREW-5 lifted off the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and began its trip to the International Space Station (ISS).

Cassada joined a very elite list of astronauts to leave planet Earth and an even smaller list of astronauts to pilot a spacecraft to the ISS.

According to NASA, there have been 336 astronauts since the space program began. All of those astronauts came from NCAA Division 1 schools such as the military academies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford, UCLA and Purdue.

Until now.

Cassada became the first Albion College astronaut to go into space.

“It made my heart race,” said Paul Anderson, professor of computer science at Albion College, after watching the launch. Anderson, who taught Cassada when he was a student at Albion, sat in the front row at the launch viewing as faculty, students and staff showed up enforce to cheer on Cassada. “He’s a great guy and we could not be happier for him.”

“We asked Josh what his career goals were and he said, ‘I’m going to be an astronaut,’” said Dr. David Kammer, who taught Cassada while he was at Albion College. “So when Josh was looking away, the other professor, Marty Ludington, and I rolled our eyes. He was determined and got the education and all aimed at becoming an astronaut.”

Anderson and Dr. David Kammer were invited to see the launch live but could not make the trip.

Dr. Nicolle Zellner, chair of the Albion College Department of Physics, was the sole Albion College representative on hand to watch the launch live from the Kennedy Space Center. She was perched on the viewing station three miles away when the rocket ignited and started its journey. Zellner is no stranger to NASA launches; she was involved in a space shuttle launch during her time as an undergraduate and has attended several.

“Seeing Josh’s launch was incredible!” said Zellner of the experience. “The view was amazing — unobstructed, 3.5 miles away — and I got very emotional knowing he and the crew were on their way at liftoff.

“The sound rumbled from the pad, right toward us. I could feel it through my whole body. When the rocket was out of sight, we all watched the livestream to learn the engines had cut off, then the crew was in orbit — all as expected — was such a relief. It was thrilling!”

The moment was not lost on current Albion students — who have never met Cassada.

“We’re here to see history being made,” said Grace Cholette, a senior economics major at Albion.

“It’s pretty crazy that an Albion College grad has gone into space,” said Harper Lienerth, a junior math major.

Courtesy of NASA

“This is the first live launch I have seen,” said Jeremy Timmer, a sophomore software engineering major. “I think it’s really cool. It is great for Albion because it proves you can do it no matter where you go to school.”

Cassada is the pilot of CREW-5. His crew mates include NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, the first Native American to go into space; JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina. It is the first time in space for Cassada, Mann and Kikina. Wakata has been involved in five previous missions, including four to the ISS.

The crew will spend the next six months aboard the International Space Station conducting a science expedition.

Born in San Diego, California, Cassada calls White Bear Lake, Minnesota, home. He is married to Megan Friedly of Charlevoix, Michigan, and they have two children.

After receiving his B.A. in physics from Albion College, Cassada earned his Ph.D. at the University of Rochester, conducting experimental high-energy physics research at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

He was commissioned as a naval officer in 2000 and earned his pilot’s wings in 2001. While in the Navy, he had two operational deployments, including 23 combat missions. Cassada was test pilot for the P-3C and the P-8A. He accumulated more than 4,000 flight hours in more than 45 different aircraft.

Even with all of his credentials and his astronaut status, Anderson said Cassada has remained just as “down to earth,” as he a was when he attended Albion.

“He never talks about himself, he wants to know how you are doing,” Anderson said of Cassada.

“You heard what Dave Kammer said, ‘that Josh said he was going to be an astronaut’ when he arrived at Albion as a freshman. And he did it,’” said Zellner. “That should be inspiring to all of our Brits, now and in the future. Albion can get you anywhere!”

THE CHALLENGE: HITTING A MOVING TARGET AT 17,500 MPH IN SPACE

The launch vehicle that carried Cassada and CREW-5 into space is the SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket. It is 229.6 feet tall and has a 12-foot diameter. It has nine SpaceX Merlin engines that produce 190,000 dbf each. After liftoff, the Falcon 9 accelerated to an orbital velocity of 17,500 miles per hour.

Once the SpaceX Dragon Endurance module separated from the booster rocket, Cassada had to pilot Endurance to dock with the International Space Station. That meant matching the speed of the ISS, positioning the module and then making the connection. And that is where his Albion College education came into play in a big, big way.

Paul Anderson, professor of computer science at Albion College and one of Cassada’s mentors, said he taught him statistics while on campus — as well as acceleration, distance and velocity. Anderson also taught Cassada physics at Albion — all of which he used to do the seemingly impossible docking his craft with the ISS.

“How do you sleep at night before you have to do that?” Paul Anderson, after watching Cassada dock the module safely with the ISS just after 5 p.m. EDT Oct. 9. “The precision blows my mind, and they are hitting a moving target.”