South Windsor's Jack Hathaway is on track to become an astronaut

Connecticut Public Radio | By John Henry Smith

Published December 7, 2021 at 6:10 PM EST

astronaut_candidate_jack_hathaway By NASA.jpg — Astronaut Candidate Individual Portrait, Jack Hathaway - ASCAN Class of 2021. Photo Date: December 3, 2021. Location: Building 8, Room 183 - Photo Studio. Photographer: Robert Markowitz

There have been 6 American astronauts who hail from the state of Connecticut.

Now we are on the cusp of having number 7 join their ranks.

When NASA announced it’s new 10 person astronaut candidate class Monday, South Windsor’s Jack Hathaway was among them.

United States Navy Commander Jack Hathaway spoke on "All Things Considered" about how his hometown prepared him for this moment.

He also talked about how he controls his fear, his thoughts on NASA's commitment to diversity and what he thinks about private efforts by people like Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to colonize other celestial bodies.

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John Henry Smith

John Henry Smith is Connecticut Public’s host of All Things Considered, its flagship afternoon news program. He's proud to be a part of the team that won a regional Emmy Award for The Vote: A Connecticut Conversation. In his 21st year as a professional broadcaster, he’s covered both news and sports.

See stories by John Henry Smith

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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