Raja Chari

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Raja Chari
Born
Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari

(1977-06-24) June 24, 1977 (age 46)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
StatusActive
Alma materUnited States Air Force Academy (BS)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MS)
Space career
NASA Astronaut
Current occupation
Fighter pilot
RankColonel, USAF
Time in space
None
SelectionNASA Group 22
Total EVAs
None
MissionsSpaceX Crew-3

Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari (born June 24, 1977; Col, USAF) is an American test pilot and NASA astronaut. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, MIT, and U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, and has over 2,000 flying hours.

Early life and education

Chari was born on June 24, 1977 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Sreenivas V Chari, a Hyderabadi Telugu and Peggy Egbert.[1][2] He was raised in Cedar Falls, Iowa and attended Columbus High School. In 1999, he graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a bachelor's degree in astronautical engineering and engineering science, with a minor in mathematics. He received a fellowship at Charles Stark Draper Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied automated orbital rendezvous and earned a master's degree in astronautics and aeronautics.

Air Force career

After completing his master's degree, Chari attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance AFB. He attended F-15E Strike Eagle training at Seymour Johnson AFB, and was subsequently stationed at Elmendorf AFB and RAF Lakenheath, and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Chari attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, and was a test pilot at Eglin AFB. He served as the project pilot for the F-15C Eagle APG-68v3 and F-15E Strike Eagle APG-82 programs for incorporating Active Electronically Scanned Array radars. Chari attended the U .S. Army Command and General Staff College, and served as a CENTCOM time sensitive targeting officer. Chari's last assignment prior to his selection was commander of the 461st Flight Test Squadron.[3][4]

NASA career

In June 2017, Chari was selected for NASA Astronaut Group 22, and reported for duty in August to begin two years of training as an astronaut.[5][6]

In December 2020, Chari was selected to be a part of the Artemis Team, a group of astronauts "to help pave the way for the next lunar missions including sending the first woman and next man to walk on the lunar surface in 2024."[7] The same month, he became the first astronaut from Group 22 to be selected for a space mission, which he will command, SpaceX Crew-3.[8]

Personal life

Chari is married to Holly Schaffter Chari, also a Cedar Falls native, and the couple have three children.[5]

Awards and honors

During his Air Force career, Chari was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Aerial Achievement Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, and the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal. Chari is an Eagle Scout, and was a distinguished graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy and Undergraduate Pilot Training.[5][9]

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Mark Garcia. Astronaut Candidate Raja Chari. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved September 20, 2018. (Official NASA biography).

  1. ^ "Sreenivas V. "Shari" Chari (1942-2010)". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. April 8, 2010.
  2. ^ Daniel, Vaihayasi Pande (August 16, 2017). "The next Indian astronaut". Rediff.com.
  3. ^ Timperlake, Edward; Laird, Robin (March 24, 2016). "Lt. Col. Raja Chari Talks About the Way Ahead with the F-35: The Renorming of Airpower Seen from Edwards". F-35 Global News. Second Line of Defense. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  4. ^ "Outgoing 461st FLTS commander selected for astronaut training". 412th Test Wing Public Affairs. June 7, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Garcia, Mark (February 7, 2018). "Astronaut Candidate Raja Chari". NASA. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  6. ^ Harwood, William (June 7, 2017). "NASA introduces 12 new astronauts". CBS News. CBS Broadcasting. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  7. ^ "NASA The Artemis Team". NASA. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  8. ^ Potter, Sean (2020-12-14). "NASA, ESA Choose Astronauts for SpaceX Crew-3 Mission to Space Station". NASA. Retrieved 2020-12-14.
  9. ^ Swartz, Clay (June 9, 2017). "Meet Eagle Scout Raja Chari, one of NASA's newest astronauts". Bryan on Scouting. Scouting Magazine. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
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