Maine Voices Live features 1:1 conversations between Portland Press Herald writers and notable Mainers. Audience members can experience a memorable night with a Q&A at the end.
Christopher J. Cassidy was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 2004 and is a veteran of three space flights, STS‐127, Expedition 35, and Expedition 63. During STS‐127, Cassidy served as a Mission Specialist and was the 500th person in history to fly into space. This mission delivered the Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section to the station. For Expedition 35, Cassidy and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano had their unplanned spacewalk when Parmitano had cooling water leak into his helmet. Cassidy, a U.S. Navy SEAL, has made four six‐month deployments: twice to the Mediterranean and twice to Afghanistan. He is the recipient of Bronze Star with combat ‘V’ and Presidential Unit Citation for leading a nine‐day operation at the Zharwar Kili Cave on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. Cassidy recently served as Commander on the International Space Station for Expedition 63.
Cassidy graduated from York High School, York, Maine; completed Naval Academy Prep School, Newport, Rhode Island, 1989; received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, U.S. Naval Academy, 1993; received a Master of Science in Ocean Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000, Honorary PHD from Husson University, 2015.
Cassidy will be interviewed by Portland Press Herald reporter Gillian Graham.
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