“So Many Opportunities”: Being Part Of Something Bigger With The Air Force And NASA

Bob Hines was born at Ft. Bragg in January 1975, but grew up in Pennsylvania. As a boy he was interested in flying and sports. At Crestwood high school in Mountaintop, Pennsylvania, he ran track and cross country and played basketball. He attended Boston University starting in 1993, majoring in aerospace engineering and running track. Upon graduation in 1997, he entered the business world for two years, but commissioned into the Air Force in 1999 after completing Air Force Officer Training School. He then completed Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi and became a T-37 instructor pilot. Next he was assigned to RAF Lakenheath and transitioned to the F15-E Strike Eagle, flying operational missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the continent of Africa. After returning from overseas, he became a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base before flying the U-28 in support of Air Force Special Operations. In 2012, he was selected as a research pilot at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and flew a variety of airframes, including the C-9 on parabolic missions, which he really enjoyed. In 2017, he became an Astronaut Candidate and later the technical lead for Orion, serving on the Orion Cockpit Working Group and developing the Human Lander System. He participated in Expeditions 67 and 68 for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission, logging 170 days in space from April 27, 2022 to October 14, 2022. At the end of the interview, he reflects on what his service in the Air Force and NASA mean to him.