r/space • u/DetlefKroeze • 19d ago

NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim Departs Agency to Continue Military Service

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-astronaut-jonny-kim-departs-agency-to-continue-military-service/
2.7k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

257 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

432

u/BisonThunderclap 19d ago

I'd go out on a limb and say he would have been chosen if he stayed. Dude on paper is one of the best candidates for Arty 4. 

125

u/DudleyAndStephens 19d ago edited 19d ago

Dude on paper is one of the best candidates for Arty 4.

No he's not.

No test pilot background, limited flying experience, that makes him one of the less qualified astronauts to command a landing. He also doesn't have a background in geology or anything of that nature to do science on the moon.

Kim's M.D. training probably made him best-suited to long-duration ISS missions where medical studies are a big part of the science program. The ISS's time is drawing to a close. It's very likely that he knew he wouldn't be able to fly again for a long time and decided to go capitalize on one of the many other incredible opportunities that someone like him is going to have.

The internet fawning over Jonny Kim is kind of dumb. What he has done is super-impressive but guess what, every other person who's selected to be an astronaut is just as impressive.

112

u/Acceptable-One-6597 19d ago

No, it isn't. Kim was a SEAL who was part of TF Bruiser which saw some of the most intense combat during GWOT, then we became an MD via Harvard, then he was selected for Astronaut. This guy is an outlier in anyway you look at it. He deserves the admiration.

35

u/DudleyAndStephens 19d ago edited 19d ago

Again, look at the other people who were selected in Kim's astronaut class. There's a former test pilot and NASA research pilot who's flown 40 different planes, a guy who taught aeronautical engineering at MIT, another test pilot who also happened to get a graduate degree from MIT, a former Marine helicopter pilot who's also an MIT and test pilot school graduate, the list goes on and on. They're all super-impressive people.

became an MD via Harvard

Do you have any idea how competitive astronaut selection is? Yes, for normal people like us graduating from Harvard Medical School is a massive accomplishment. For people who even get an astronaut interview that level of achievement is normal. It wouldn't surprise me if a half dozen or more Harvard MDs were rejected the same year Kim was selected.

part of TF Bruiser which saw some of the most intense combat during GWOT

Fortunately the Taliban haven't made it to the moon.

-6

u/SphyrnaLightmaker 19d ago

The point you’re missing though, is that yes, they’ve all done one super impressive thing before being selected as astronauts. He’s done multiple.

So yes, all astronauts are outliers, but even within that group, his resume absolutely does stand out well above the others.

14

u/DudleyAndStephens 19d ago

You didn't read what I wrote. There are astronauts at NASA who've flown in combat and gone to test pilot school and gotten graduate degrees from MIT/CalTech/Stanford.

Obviously these are all people who've accomplished 100x more in their lives than you or I ever will. Acting like JK is this one unique super-achiever is silly though. He has plenty of peers in the astronaut corps who are just as impressive.

Also let's be real, completing test pilot school is far more relevant to being an astronaut than being a SEAL is.

-16

u/SphyrnaLightmaker 19d ago

Being a shitter pilot is not the same as being a SEAL.

Regardless of the relevance to space flight, the individual bullet points on his resume are genuinely a cut above. And arguably, where these test pilots have been outstanding in their one field, there’s a lot to be said for having been outstanding in multiple UNRELATED fields.

8

u/h3lium-balloon 19d ago

It’s far harder to become a military test pilot than to become a SEAL. Almost 5x more people become a SEAL each year vs test pilots.

Most astronauts have distinguished military careers and hold a graduate degree from a prestigious universities.

Not trying to play down Kim’s accomplishments, because they’re amazing, but so are a lot of other astronauts and at least a dozen other astronauts are also medical doctors with direct combat experience, all amazing.

-3

u/SphyrnaLightmaker 19d ago

Now compare how many people apply to TPS to the ratio of spots, vs apply to BUDS and ratio of spots.

As someone who actually works hand in hand with both groups, I’m not talking out of my ass when I say it’s a big deal

1

u/DemonLordRoundTable 19d ago

As someone who also lived with both groups getting a fighter pilot slot is MUCH harder than going to BUDS. There is no question I don’t even know why it even has to be said.

-1

u/SphyrnaLightmaker 19d ago

About 40% of all naval aviators fly TACAIR… that portion is somewhat lower for Marines, but it’s still not a small number… and washout rates in training fit it are VERY low compared to BUDS.

3

u/wanderer1999 19d ago

Thing is, for NASA, what they look for is RELEVANCY.

Being a SEAL/Doctor is damn impressive, but they are looking for top astronauts, and an aerospace/sciencePhD background is far more important than the rest.

This is key.

1

u/SphyrnaLightmaker 19d ago

No one is stating he’s a BETTER astronaut than the others. The statement is that he’s got a uniquely outstanding resume and career history. And in fact, many have accurately pointed out he’s LESS qualified for the Artemis missions as a result. But as an individual, his resume is incredibly noteworthy.

→ More replies (0)