Who is Jack Hathaway and what is his role on the ISS
Jack Hathaway is a NASA astronaut, an American from Connecticut. He is part of the Expedition 75 crew aboard the International Space Station, serving as flight engineer on what is his first trip to space after a long career as a military pilot. His arrival on the ISS marks the leap from a career built entirely in combat cockpits and test programs into crewed spaceflight.
From an aircraft carrier deck to the space program
Before becoming an astronaut, Hathaway rose to the rank of commander in the U.S. Navy. He studied Physics and History at the U.S. Naval Academy, later adding graduate studies at Cranfield University in England and at the U.S. Naval War College. On deployment, he flew with Strike Fighter Squadron 14 aboard the USS Nimitz and later with Squadron 136 aboard the USS Truman, building real operational experience across two separate fleet deployments.
From fighter pilot to test pilot
His career took a technical leap when he graduated from the Empire Test Pilots' School, one of the most demanding test-pilot schools in the world, dedicated to evaluating how new or modified aircraft behave at the edge of their performance envelope. That technical profile also led him to support the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, and his last assignment before joining NASA was as prospective executive officer of Strike Fighter Squadron 81.
How that experience translates to life on the station
It's no accident that NASA frequently selects test pilots for its crewed missions: it's a background built around operating complex systems with very little margin for error, writing procedures nobody has documented before, and making fast decisions when something goes off script. Those same skills — risk assessment, procedural discipline, and the ability to improvise within a protocol — are exactly what's needed to run the ISS's technical and scientific systems day to day.
Career stats as an astronaut
- 1 spaceflight (Expedition 75, currently underway).
- 0 spacewalks to date.
- Over 167 days accumulated in space, a number still climbing as the mission continues.
💡 Fun fact: Hathaway has logged over 2,500 flight hours across 30 different aircraft types, more than 500 carrier landings, and 39 combat missions. That kind of flight-hour volume and aircraft variety is exactly the résumé NASA looks for in test pilots: people trained to learn new systems fast with almost no room for error — a skill that carries over directly to running the ISS's systems.
You can find more biographical details on Jack Hathaway on his Wikipedia page.
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