NASA Astronaut & Scientist Zena Cardman | Johnson Space Center

NASA Astronaut & Scientist Zena Cardman | Johnson Space Center

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman inspects her spacesuit’s wrist mirror in this portrait taken at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on March 22, 2024. Cardman will launch to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission. This will be her first spaceflight.

The flight is the 11th crew rotation with SpaceX to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The crew will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future missions to the Moon, as well as to benefit people on Earth.

Cardman was selected by NASA as a member of the 2017 “Turtles” Astronaut Class. The Virginia native holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in marine sciences from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her research focused primarily on geobiology and geochemical cycling in subsurface environments, from caves to deep sea sediments. Cardman’s experience includes multiple Antarctic expeditions. Since completing initial training, Cardman has supported real-time station operations and lunar surface exploration planning.

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman biography:

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/zena-cardman/

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/cardman-z.pdf

This photo was one of the winners of NASA’s 2024 Photos of the Year.

Image Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel
Release Date: June 24, 2025

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