Indian American Astronaut Raja Chari to Return from Space to Earth

During their mission, Chari and three crew members contributed to hundreds of experiments and technology demonstrations, NASA said in a press release. They worked on a variety of plant growth experiments, testing new systems for growing crops and studying potentially drought-resistant cotton plants.

In addition, they tested a handheld bioprinter designed to print bandages made from skin cells directly onto a wound, and a miniature scanning electron microscope. The crew members also installed a new device to support studies on fire safety in microgravity and conducted one of the first archaeological experiments in space. Working in pairs, the astronauts also completed four spacewalks to prepare the station for upcoming solar array upgrades by assembling and installing modification kits and successfully replacing a faulty antenna on the Port-1 truss structure.

Chari took to Twitter earlier this month. “Welcomed @SpaceX #Dragon to @Space_Station, @NASA_Johnson team did great coming up w/ solutions to some challenges along the way. Also, a historic step for @NASA to get private industry into low earth orbit.

he Milwaukee, Wisconsin-born Chari was raised in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class. At the time of his selection in June 2017, Chari was a Colonel selected in the U.S. Air Force, serving as the Commander of the 461st Flight Test Squadron and the Director of the F-35 Integrated Test Force. He has accumulated more than 2,500 hours of flight time in the F-35, F-15, F-16, and F-18 including F-15E combat missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom and deployments in support of the Korean peninsula.

Chari reported for duty in August 2017 and completed two years of training as an Astronaut Candidate. He then served as the Director of the Joint Test Team for the NASA Commercial Crew Program

He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in Astronautical Engineering and Engineering Science. He continued on to earn a master’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.

He is married to Holly Schaffter Chari, also a Cedar Falls native, and the couple has three children.