https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jack-d-fischer

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

Houston, Texas 77058

May 2018

Jack D. Fischer

(Colonel, U.S. Air Force) NASA Astronaut

Summary:

Jack D. Fischer (Colonel, U.S. Air Force) was selected by NASA in July 2009. The Colorado native served as a Flight 

Engineer aboard the International Space Station of the Expedition 51/52. During his 2017 mission, he logged 136 days in 

space with two spacewalks. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering from the U.S. Air Force 

Academy, and a Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

(MIT). Colonel Fischer is an Air Force Command pilot with over 3,000 flight hours in more than 45 types of aircraft.

Personal Data:

Born in 1974, Fischer’s hometown is Louisville, Colorado. He is married to the former Elizabeth Simonson from Boulder, 

Colorado. They have two daughters. Fischer’s father, Gary Fischer, is deceased, and his mother, JoBelle Fischer, still lives 

near Louisville, Colorado.

Education:

Centaurus High School, Lafayette, Colorado, 1992; Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering, U.S. Air Force 

Academy, Colorado, 1996; Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 

Cambridge, Massachusetts. 1998.

Experience:

After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 1996, Fischer went on to the Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology to complete his master’s degree before attending Pilot Training in 1998. He then attended F-15E Strike Eagle 

training at Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, before being assigned as an operational fighter pilot in the 

391st Fighter Squadron. Fischer served two combat tours in Southwest Asia following September 11, 2001, in support of 

Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Southern Watch over Afghanistan and Iraq. He was then selected to attend 

the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School (TPS) at Edwards Air Force Base, California. After TPS, he transitioned to F-15 and 

weapons testing with the 40th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where he served as project pilot for 

numerous programs and weapons, including the Small Diameter Bomb. In 2006, Fischer again returned to Edwards Air 

Force Base, as part of the F-22 Combined Test Force testing the F-22 Raptor. In 2008, he was selected as a Strategic 

Policy Intern in Washington, D.C. While serving two six-month rotations at the Pentagon, Fischer served in the 

Chairman’s Action Group for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in the Space and Intelligence Capabilities 

Office with the Senior Advisor for the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. 

After a 9-year NASA career that included 136 days in space, Fischer returned to the U.S. Air Force in June 2018 to take a 

position at Headquarters, U.S. Air Force Space Command. 
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jack-d-fischer

Jack D. Fischer

NASA Experience:

Fischer was selected in July 2009 as one of 9 members of the 20th NASA astronaut class, and completed astronaut 

candidate training in July 2011. He has worked in the CAPCOM, Soyuz, International Space Station Operations, ISS 

Integration, and Exploration branches of the Astronaut Office. He also served as Flight Engineer for Expeditions 51 and 

52 from April to September, 2017.

Spaceflight Experience

Expedition 51/52 (20 April through 3 September, 2017). On 20 April, 2017 Fischer launched from the Baikonur 

Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station with Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin. Upon 

reaching the station, they joined Expedition 51 Commander Peggy Whitson (NASA), Thomas Pesquet (ESA) and Oleg 

Novitskiy (Roscosmos). They were later joined by Expedition 53 Commander Randy Bresnik (NASA), Paolo Nespoli (ESA) 

and Sergey Ryazanskiy (Roscosmos). Fischer and Yurchikhin returned to Earth with Peggy Whitson on 3 September, 

2017, concluding a 136 day mission that included hundreds of scientific experiments for the crew and two spacewalks 

for Fischer. 

Awards/Honors:

U.S. Air Force Academy Distinguished Graduate and Outstanding Cadet in Astronautics (1996); Draper Fellow, Draper 

Labs/Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1996 to 1998); Liethen-Tittle, Aaron C-Dot George and Onizuka Prop Wash 

Awards and Distinguished Graduate, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School; Military decorations include the Defense Superior 

Service Medal, Legion of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, four Air Medals, eight Aerial Achievement Medals, Air 

Force Achievement Medal, Combat Action Medal, Commendation Medal and Military Outstanding Volunteer Service 

Medal. NASA awards include the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, NASA Spaceflight Medal, six JSC Superior 

Achievement Awards, Stephen D. Thorne Aviation Safety Award, and numerous commendations and group awards for 

innovation and achievement.

Organizations:

Society of Experimental Test Pilots, Association of Space Explorers, Order of Daedalians, Red River Valley Fighter Pilots 

Association, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Gamma Tau Engineering 

Honor Societies.

Pronunciation: 

JAK FISH-er