| Jessica Wittner | |
| Birth Place: | Fresno, California, U.S. |
| Education: | University of Arizona (BS) Naval Postgraduate School (MS) |
| Type: | NASA astronaut |
| Selection: | NASA Group 23 (2021) |
Jessica Wittner (born 1983) is a Commander in the United States Navy and NASA astronaut.[1]
Wittner is a native of California with a distinguished career serving on active duty as a naval aviator and test pilot. As a teenager she joined the Naval Sea Cadet Corps, where she attained the highest rank, Chief Petty Officer.[2] She holds a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering from the University of Arizona, and a Master of Science in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Wittner was commissioned as a naval officer through an enlisted-to-officer program and has served operationally flying F/A-18 fighter jets with Strike Fighter Squadron 34 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Strike Fighter Squadron 151 in Lemoore, California. A graduate of U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, she also worked as a test pilot and project officer with Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 in China Lake, California.
On December 6, 2021, Wittner was formally announced as a NASA astronaut candidate with NASA Astronaut Group 23.[3]
In 2023, Wittner participated in the ESA PANGAEA training organized by the European Space Agency, held between Italy (Bletterbach canyon), Germany (Noerdlingen-Ries crater) and Spain (Lanzarote Island)[4] [5] [6] together with the colleagues Thomas Pesquet and Takuya Onishi.