Astronaut Appearances

NASA selects astronauts from a diverse pool of applicants with a wide variety of backgrounds, from scientists to pilots. From the thousands of applications received, only a few are chosen to be a member of the elite NASA Astronaut Corps. Each day at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visitors get the rare opportunity to meet a veteran NASA astronaut. 
 

Meet the Astronaut of the Day at any of the following opportunities.  See the Daily Schedule for the times for each when you arrive. 

• The daily Astronaut Encounter briefings allow time for a presentation from the astronaut and a question-and-answer session, so be prepared to ask him or her what you have always wanted to know.
• Visitors can also get an astronaut’s autograph at The Space Shop and Shuttle Express at various times during the day.
• During the all-new Chat With An Astronaut, enjoy a sampling of food and beverages while having a group conversation with the Astronaut of the Day about what it is really like to live and work in space.  This new add-on enhancement requires daily admission.

Astronaut Bio:

Brian Duffy became an astronaut in July 1986 and later served on four Space Shuttle flights – twice as pilot and twice as commander. During his final mission on STS-92 in 2000, he and his crew attached key hardware pieces to the International Space Station, which opened the door for future assembly missions and prepared the station for its first resident crew. He logged 40 days, 17 hours in space.

His other NASA experience includes acting as spacecraft communicator in Mission Control during numerous other Space Shuttle missions. He also served as Assistant Director (Technical) and Deputy Director (Acting) of the NASA-Johnson Space Center in Houston. Upon retiring from the U.S. Air Force and NASA in 2001, he joined Lockheed Martin and spent a decade managing all aspects of KSC’s networks and communications systems that supported the Space Shuttle, International Space Station and Expendable Launch Vehicle programs. He later managed Lockheed Martin’s military space division. Today, he serves as Vice President of JSC/KSC Exploration Systems at Orbital ATK, where he leads a coalition that is developing the systems required for deep space exploration.

A Boston native, Duffy earned his Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the United States Air Force Academy and a Master of Science in systems management from the University of Southern California. He is a member of the USAF Academy Association of Graduates, the Air Force Association and the Association of Space Explorers. Brian Duffy was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in May 2016.