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Nick Hague

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This article is about the American astronaut. For the Canadian ice hockey player, see Nicolas Hague.

Nick Hague
Hague in 2024
Born
Tyler Nicklaus Hague

(1975-09-24) 24 September 1975 (age 49)
Belleville, Kansas, U.S.
Education
Space career
NASA astronaut
RankColonel, US Space Force
Time in space
255 days, 22 hours, 49 minutes [refresh]
(currently in space) [1]
SelectionNASA Group 21 (2013)
Total EVAs
3
Total EVA time
19 hours, 56 minutes
Missions
Mission insignia

Tyler Nicklaus "Nick" Hague (born 24 September 1975) is a United States Space Force colonel and a NASA astronaut of the class of 2013.[2][3] Selected to be a flight engineer on the International Space Station, his first launch was on Soyuz MS-10, which aborted shortly after take-off on 11 October 2018. His second launch, on 14 March 2019, was successful, taking him and his fellow Soyuz MS-12 crew members to join ISS Expedition 59/60.[4]

Education

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Hague was born in Belleville, Kansas in 1975. He attended Peabody-Burns Elementary School, in Peabody, Kansas, while his father was the principal of Peabody-Burns High School from 1982 to 1989.[5] In 1994, Nick graduated from Hoxie High School in Hoxie, Kansas, while his father was superintendent of the school district.[6]

In 1998, he completed a B.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and continued to study and graduate with a M.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2000.

In the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force

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Hague joined the U.S. Air Force and was commissioned as second lieutenant in May 1998. He was assigned to the Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico in August 2000, working on advanced spacecraft technologies.

In 2003, Hague attended the United States Air Force Test Pilot School, in Edwards Air Force Base, California. Following graduation in 2004, he was assigned to the 416th Flight Test Squadron and tested the F-16, F-15 and T-38 aircraft.

Hague was deployed in Iraq for five months in 2004, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, and conducting experimental airborne reconnaissance.

In 2006, Hague started teaching courses in the Department of Astronautics faculty at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado. He has taught courses in introductory astronautics, linear control system analysis and design.

In 2009, Hague received a fellowship for the Air Force Fellows program in Washington, D.C.

From 2012 until 2013 Hague worked in the Department of Defense as Deputy Chief of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization.

Hague was promoted to colonel in 2016.[7] His transfer to the U.S. Space Force was approved in December 2020.[8] In 2019, Hague served as the Space Force's director of Test and Evaluation at the Pentagon.[9]

Although Colonel Michael S. Hopkins became the first Space Force member in space when he transferred from the Air Force to the Space Force while onboard the International Space Station, Hague was selected to be the first guardian to launch into space.[10]

NASA

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Hague was selected by NASA as part of Astronaut Group 21 and completed training in July 2015, making him available for future missions.[3]

Hague was the first astronaut of the 2013 NASA astronaut class to be selected for a mission; he was slated to be a flight engineer for Expedition 57/58.

Soyuz MS-10 (aborted)

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Hague (top) and Alexey Ovchinin (bottom) wave farewell prior to boarding the Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft on 11 October 2018

On 11 October 2018, Hague and Aleksey Ovchinin boarded Soyuz MS-10, destined for the International Space Station, but the launch was aborted mid-flight due to a booster failure; the crew landed safely after pulling over 6 Gs[11] on a ballistic descent, minutes from launch.[12][6] The Soyuz flight was aborted at an altitude of around 50 kilometers (31 miles) and the spacecraft reached an apogee of 93 km (58 mi) before landing 19 minutes and 41 seconds after launch, according to a preliminary official report.[13] Hague would thus be entitled to Air Force astronaut wings for this aborted flight, as the USAF defines the boundary of space at 50 miles (80 kilometres),[14] but did not quite cross the internationally-accepted Kármán line at 62 miles. As a result, NASA considered this to be Hague's first spaceflight, unlike RSA, and the two agencies therefore count subsequent flights differently.[4] Hague was awarded a special NASA Astronaut Pin made of tin in recognition of his survival of Soyuz MS-10.[15]

Expedition 59/60

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Hague launched successfully to the ISS on 14 March 2019, travelling on Soyuz MS-12 with Russian Commander Aleksey Ovchinin and fellow American astronaut Christina Koch. The trio joined Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineers David Saint-Jacques and Anne McClain on Expedition 59.[4] After the departure of Kononenko, Saint-Jacques and McClain in July 2019, Ovchinin, Hague and Koch will transfer over to Expedition 60, with Ovchinin taking command of the station, and would subsequently return to Earth in early October 2019.[16] According to a Russian news site, it was under consideration that Hague would stay on the ISS after the landing of Soyuz MS-12 and instead land with Soyuz MS-15, this mission would happen in order to fly a cosmonaut from the United Arab Emirates' Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, who would launch on Soyuz MS-15 and land on Soyuz MS-12 ten or so days later. If Hague had undertaken the mission then he would have spent over 14 months on the ISS,[citation needed] the only other space mission to last around that long was Valeri Polyakov's Soyuz TM-18/Soyuz TM-20 mission to the Mir space station, which lasted 437d 17h 58m, the longest single stay in space in history. In an interview with Space.com in February 2019, Hague stated that his mission would be lasting 204 days, meaning the prospect of him staying 14 months on the station was off the table.[17]

On 22 March 2019, Hague and Anne McClain performed their first spacewalk to install the adapter plates while Dextre swaps the batteries between spacewalks. The EVA lasted 6 hours and 39 minutes. They also removed debris from the Unity Module in preparation for the arrival of Cygnus NG-11 in April, stowing tools for the repair of the flex hose rotary coupler, and securing tiebacks on the solar array blanket boxes.[18]

Hague performed his second EVA together with Christina Koch. Originally designated to be the first "all-female" EVA, Hague was reassigned to it after space suit issues prevented both women from going on the EVA.[19] EVA lasted 6 hours and 45 minutes.[20]

On 21 August, Hague performed his third EVA, together with Andrew Morgan. EVA lasted 6 hours and 32 minutes, while the astronauts installed a new International Docking Adapter (IDA).[20] During the EVA, Hague wore the Artemis program logo on his suit.[21]

Honors and awards

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During his service in the Air Force and Space Force, Hague has received the following awards:[7][22]

Senior Astronaut Observer Badge
Senior Space Operations Badge
Space Staff Badge
USAF Test Pilot School Graduate Patch
Defense Superior Service Medal
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Width-44 crimson ribbon with a pair of width-2 white stripes on the edges
 Legion of Merit with one bronze oak leaf cluster
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster
Width-44 crimson ribbon with two width-8 white stripes at distance 4 from the edges. Meritorious Service Medal
Silver oak leaf cluster
 Air Medal with one silver oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Aerial Achievement Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Air and Space Commendation Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters
Combat Action Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Award
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award with one bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Air and Space Organizational Excellence Award with two bronze oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Recognition Ribbon
Bronze star
Width=44 scarlet ribbon with a central width-4 golden yellow stripe, flanked by pairs of width-1 scarlet, white, Old Glory blue, and white stripes
 National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star
Bronze star
 Iraq Campaign Medal with one bronze service star
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Air and Space Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold frame
Silver oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Air and Space Longevity Service Award with one silver and one bronze oak leaf clusters
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air and Space Training Ribbon
  • Distinguished Graduate, United States Air Force Academy
  • Distinguished Graduate and top flight test engineer, United States Air Force Test Pilot School Class 03A

Additionally, he was awarded the Order of Courage by the Russian Federation for his actions during the aborted flight of Soyuz MS-10.[23]

Personal life

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Hague met his wife, Col. Catie Hague, in 1996 at the Air Force Academy. They have two sons. Hague is a Doctor Who fan.[24]

References

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Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

  1. ^ "Astronaut Biography: Nicholas Hague". www.spacefacts.de.
  2. ^ National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "2013 Astronaut Class". NASA. Archived from the original on 21 June 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  3. ^ a b "NASA's Newest Astronauts Complete Training". NASA. 9 July 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Gebhardt, Chris (14 March 2019). "Soyuz MS-12 docks with the Space Station – NASASpaceFlight.com". NASASpaceflight.com.
  5. ^ "Astronaut on NASA launch attended school in Peabody". Peabody Gazette-Bulletin. 17 October 2018. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Family, world watches as rocket carrying Kansas astronaut fails". The Wichita Eagle. 11 October 2018. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Astronaut Biography: Tyler N. Hague" (PDF). nasa.gov. March 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  8. ^ "PN2387 — Space Force". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Space Force Guardian set to launch to International Space Station on NASA mission". 31 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Space Force Guardian set to launch to International Space Station on NASA mission". 31 January 2024.
  11. ^ Strickland, Ashley (20 October 2018). "Astronaut recounts harrowing failed space launch". CNN. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  12. ^ Dent, Steve (11 October 2018). "Soyuz astronauts safe after failure forced an emergency landing". Engadget. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  13. ^ Burghardt, Thomas (18 October 2018). "NASA and Roscosmos trying to avoid an empty Space Station – NASASpaceFlight.com". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  14. ^ "NASA - Schneider walks the Walk". www.nasa.gov. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  15. ^ "Soyuz MS-10 | How a Russian Rocket Launch Failed In 118 Seconds". 22 March 2023. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  16. ^ "NASA Astronaut Nick Hague Set for New Space Station Mission – Space Station". blogs.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  17. ^ "Launching Again After Soyuz Abort - Astronaut Nick Hague Interview". YouTube. 22 February 2019. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021.
  18. ^ "Spacewalkers Complete Battery Swaps for Station Power Upgrades – Space Station". blogs.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 2 June 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  19. ^ Berger, Eric (26 March 2019). "It's unfortunate NASA canceled the all-female EVA, but it's the right decision". Ars Technica.
  20. ^ a b "EVAs of Nicklaus Hague". spacefacts.de. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  21. ^ Elizabeth Howell (24 August 2019). "NASA's Artemis Moon Program Just Photobombed a Spacewalk (Photo)". spaceflight.com.
  22. ^ "Space Force Guardian set to launch to International Space Station on NASA mission". 31 January 2024.
  23. ^ Hero US Astronaut Awarded by Putin For Surviving Harrowing Failed Space Launch, Not Giving Up!, Vesti News, 9 October 2019
  24. ^ Five things you didn't know about Nick Hague, NASA Johnson Space Center, 10 October 2018
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