Reid Wiseman, who recently commanded NASA's Artemis II mission, is transitioning from active flight status to a senior leadership role at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The Artemis II mission, which captivated global attention in April by swinging over the far side of the Moon, marked humanity's first departure from low-Earth orbit since 1972. Now, Wiseman is set to become the deputy director of JPL, NASA's premier facility for deep-space robotic missions located just north of Los Angeles.
The California Institute of Technology (Caltech), which manages the laboratory for NASA, announced on Wednesday that Wiseman will assume his new duties starting November 30. Ray Jayawardhana, president of Caltech, described Wiseman as an exceptionally strong fit for the current moment in space exploration. This appointment represents a significant milestone, as no astronaut has previously served in the senior leadership of JPL.
At first glance, the pairing of Wiseman and JPL may appear unconventional given that the laboratory is not deeply involved in human spaceflight. Additionally, while Wiseman holds engineering degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Johns Hopkins University, he has never worked as an engineer nor managed an organization of JPL's scale, which employs approximately 4,300 staff members and contractors. Despite these differences, his background as a mission commander positions him uniquely for this new chapter in California.
Sources: The New York Times Science.