http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/mark-t-vande-hei http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

Houston, Texas 77058

September 2022

Mark T. Vande Hei

(Colonel, U.S. Army Retired) NASA Astronaut

Summary:

Mark T. Vande Hei was selected by NASA in 2009. Born in Virginia then raised in New Jersey and Minnesota, Vande Hei 

earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Saint John's University and a Master of Science in Applied Physics from 

Stanford University. He was commissioned in the U.S. Army through the ROTC program and served as a combat

engineer. In 1999, he became an assistant professor of physics at the United States Military Academy in West Point. 

After extending the record for the longest single spaceflight in history by an American to 355 days, NASA astronaut Mark 

Vande Hei returned to Earth in March 2022. 

Personal Data:

Vande Hei and his wife, Julie, are the proud parents of two children. He enjoys exercise, backpacking, watersports and 

reading. His parents, Thomas and Mary Vande Hei, reside in Chanhassen, Minnesota. 

Education:

Saint Joseph’s High School, Metuchen, New Jersey; Benilde-Saint Margaret’s High School, Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, 

1985; Bachelor of Science in Physics, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1989; Master of Science in Applied 

Physics, Stanford University, 1999.

Experience:

Vande Hei was commissioned through ROTC following graduation from Saint John's University in 1989. After graduating 

from the Army’s Engineer Officer Basic Course and Ranger School, he reported to the 3rd Battalion, 325th Infantry 

Regiment (Airborne Battalion Combat Team), Caserma Ederle, Italy. His roles there included combat engineer platoon 

leader, heavy engineer platoon leader, cold-weather-training officer, and support platoon leader. As a combat engineer 

platoon leader, he served in Iraq during Operation Provide Comfort. In 1994, he reported to the 4th Infantry Division 

(Mechanized) at Fort Carson, Colorado. While there, Vande Hei served in the staff of the 299th and 4th Engineer 

Battalions, and then commanded C Company, 4th Engineer Battalion. After completing a Master of Science degree in 

1999, he served as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics at the United States Military Academy, West 

Point, New York. In 2003, he reported to the Army’s 1st Space Battalion at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. There, he 

served as an Army space support team leader, then as the battalion’s operations officer. As an Army space support 

team leader, Vande Hei deployed to Iraq for 12 months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Other military training 

Vande Hei completed includes the Army Air Assault Course, Parachutist Course, German Winter Operations Course, 

Engineer Officer Advanced Course, Battalion Maintenance Officers’ Course, Command and General Staff College and the 

Space Operations Officer Qualification Course.

NASA Experience:

Vande Hei reported to the Johnson Space Center in July 2006 to serve as a Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) in the 

Mission Control Center, Houston. He served as an International Space Station CAPCOM for Expeditions 15 to 20 and 
http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/mark-t-vande-hei http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts

Mark T. Vande Hei

STS-122, 123, 124, 126 and 127. Vande Hei was selected in June 2009 as one of 9 members of the 20th NASA astronaut 

class. He completed astronaut candidate training in June 2011, after which he continued to serve as a CAPCOM. From 

June 2012 to May 2013, he served as the Astronaut Office’s Director of Operations in Russia. After returning from his 

first spaceflight, Vande Hei served as the technical assistant for NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission 

Directorate. He followed that assignment by serving as the assistant to the chief astronaut for extravehicular activity 

and robotics, until starting training for his second spaceflight. 

Spaceflight Experience:

Expedition 53/54 (September 13 through February 28, 2018). Vande Hei, serving as flight engineer 1, launched from 

Baikonur, Kazakhstan with NASA Astronaut Joe Acaba and Russian Cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin on Soyuz MS-06. 

During the mission the crew marked the beginning of the first long-term increase in crew size on the U.S. segment of the 

International Space Station, enabling NASA to double the time dedicated to research and achieve a then record-setting 

week of research that surpassed 100 hours. During this, his first mission, Vande Hei ventured outside the space station 

on four spacewalks to perform work that included replacing and lubricating the Latching End Effectors on both ends of 

the Canadarm2. He returned to Earth after 168 days of in space.

Expedition 65/66 (April 9, 2021 through March 30 2022). Vande Hei, serving as flight engineer 2, launched from 

Baikonur, Kazakhstan with Russian Cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov on Soyuz MS-18. After 355 days in 

space, setting the US record for longest continuous spaceflight, he returned to the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Soyuz MS19 along with crewmates Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov. While on board the International Space Station, he 

worked to maintain the Station and further its science objectives along with the crews of three Dragon spacecraft and 

five Soyuz spacecraft. 

Vande Hei has spent a total of 523 days in space and has spent 26 hours and 42 minutes conducting spacewalks.

Awards/Honors:

Legion of Merit; Joint Service Commendation Medal; Joint Meritorious Unit Award; Southwest Asia Service Medal; 

various other campaign and service awards; NASA Achievement Medal; previous captain of the Saint John’s Ranger 

Challenge Team; Doctor of Science, Honoris causa, Saint John’s University.

Organizations: 

Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Member of Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honor society.

Pronunciation: 

MARK VAN-duh HI