Why Not Now? With Amy Jo Martin

NASA Astronaut and Marine Corps Colonel Douglas Hurley is on the show this week!   Doug was the Spacecraft Commander on last year’s SpaceX Crew Dragon. It was the first crewed spaceflight from American soil in almost 9 years.   Doug’s Why Not Now? moment involves applying to the astronaut program, and how that decision changed the trajectory of both his professional and personal life. Doug’s favorite part about his time in the program is that he met his wife who is also a NASA Astronaut and they now have a son together.   Doug tells Amy Jo about the week-long interview process and what NASA looks for in its candidates. He also talks about that surreal moment when he got the phone call telling him he would be an astronaut.   Doug and Amy Jo discuss how Doug overcame the mental challenge of living in space for extended periods of time. A lot of the ways he kept his mind healthy in space can easily be applied here on earth.    Doug also shares that he’s at an inflection point in his career. He recently retired f