NASA astronaut Joe Acaba poses for a portrait, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in the Blue Flight Control Room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

JSC2004-E-40629 (17 Aug. 2004) --- Astronaut Joseph M. (Joe) Acaba, mission specialist

Official Photo of Astronaut Candidate Joe Acaba

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba signs autographs while onboard a Russian MI-8 helicopter that is transporting him from the Soyuz landing site outside of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan where he and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin landed in their Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

JSC2004-E-21455 (For Release 6 May 2004) --- Joseph M. (Joe) Acaba, one of three mission specialist - educator candidates in NASA's 2004 astronaut class.

Portrait of Joe Acaba - 2004 ASCAN class

Expedition 32 Preflight Training with Joe Acaba

Expedition 54 plaque hanging ceremony

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei Acaba visited Marshall April 11 for their honorary Expedition 54 plaque hanging ceremony and to provide valuable feedback of their on-orbit science investigations with the Payload Operations and Integration Center team. Chris Buckley is awarded privilege of hanging Mission 54 placque, shown here with Astronaut Mark Vande Hei (L) and Astronaut Joe Acaba

Expedition 54 plaque hanging ceremony

NASA astronaut and Director of Operations, Star City, Russia, Joe Acaba prepares to plant a tree during a traditional ceremony at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. Acaba is in Karaganda to help support the Expedition 56 crew Soyuz landing from the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 56 Landing Preparations

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba speaks about his time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASA Headquarters

iss053e059889 (Sept. 28, 2017) --- Astronaut Joe Acaba calculates his mass inside the Columbus laboratory module using the Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD). The device generates a known force against a crew member mounted on an extension arm with the resulting acceleration used to calculate the subject’s mass.

Acaba performs Body Mass Measurement Activity

Students watch a video about NASA astronaut Joe Acaba during a STEM in 30 event, Wednesday, June 27, 2018 at Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronaut Serena Auñon-Chancellor at Air and Space Museum

Zero Boil-Off Tank Hardware Setup with MSG Removal Front Window

iss053e027113 (9/18/2017) --- NASA astronaut Joe Acaba during the Zero Boil-Off Tank Hardware Setup in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG). Zero Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) uses an experimental fluid to test active heat removal and forced jet mixing as alternative means for controlling tank pressure for volatile fluids. Results from the investigation improve models used to design tanks for long-term cryogenic liquid storage, which are essential in biotechnology, medicine, industrial, and many other applications on Earth.

ISS Expedition 31 crew member Joe Acaba during training in VR Lab.

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASM

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei right, answer audience questions with the Smithsonian's Marty Kelsey, center, during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASM

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba answers an audience members question during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASM

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba speaks about his experiences onboard the International Space Station during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba answers an audience members question prior to a presentation, Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASM

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba speak about their experiences onboard the International Space Station during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASA Headquarters

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, answer questions from the audience after speaking about their time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASA Headquarters

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, answer questions from the audience after speaking about their time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Vande Hei and Acaba at Walt Whitman Middle School

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, right, and Joe Acaba answer questions during a presentation to students at Walt Whitman Middle School, Thursday, June 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Va. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Vande Hei and Acaba at Walt Whitman Middle School

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba speaks about his time onboard the International Space Station during a presentation to students at Walt Whitman Middle School, Thursday, June 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Va. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASA Headquarters

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, answer questions from the audience after speaking about their time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 56 Landing Preparations

NASA astronaut and Director of Operations, Star City, Russia, Joe Acaba takes a photograph of NASA astronaut and Astronaut Office Representative Shannon Walker after they each planted a tree during a traditional ceremony at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. Acaba and Walker are in Karaganda to help support the Expedition 56 crew Soyuz landing from the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASM

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba speak about their experiences onboard the International Space Station during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, speak about their time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASA Headquarters

Expedition 54 Soyuz MS-06 Landing

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba rests in a chair shortly after he, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin landed in their Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASM

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba speak about their experiences onboard the International Space Station during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 54 Soyuz MS-06 Landing

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba is carried to a medical tent shortly after he, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin landed in their Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba listens to a question from a student during a presentation at Walt Whitman Middle School, Thursday, June 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Va. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Vande Hei and Acaba at Walt Whitman Middle School

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASA Headquarters

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, answer questions from the audience after speaking about their time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Vande Hei and Acaba at Walt Whitman Middle School

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba answer questions during a presentation to students at Walt Whitman Middle School, Thursday, June 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Va. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASA Headquarters

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, answer questions from the audience after speaking about their time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Vande Hei and Acaba at Walt Whitman Middle School

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba speaks about his time onboard the International Space Station during a presentation to students at Walt Whitman Middle School, Thursday, June 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Va. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Vande Hei and Acaba at Walt Whitman Middle School

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba answer questions during a presentation to students at Walt Whitman Middle School, Thursday, June 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Va. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASA Headquarters

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, answer questions from the audience after speaking about their time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Vande Hei and Acaba at Walt Whitman Middle School

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, present Walt Whitman Middle School Principal Craig Herring with a montage from their Expedition 54 mission, Thursday, June 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Va. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, left, meets with Expedition 54 NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, right, and Mark Vande Hei, off camera, during their Expedition 54 post flight, Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at NASA Headquarters, Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 54 Post Flight

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba speaks about his time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at the DACOR Bacon House in Washington. The house is an early nineteenth century home and the current headquarters of DACOR Foundation, an organization of foreign affairs professionals. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the DACOR Bacon House

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, center, meets with Expedition 54 NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba during their Expedition 54 post flight, Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at NASA Headquarters, Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 54 Post Flight

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, second from left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, visit the gravesite of former astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn, Friday, June 15, 2018 at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, left, meets with Expedition 54 NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, center, and Mark Vande Hei during their Expedition 54 post flight, Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at NASA Headquarters, Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 54 Post Flight

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the DACOR Bacon House

Expedition 54 NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei meet with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine during their Expedition 54 post flight visit, Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at NASA Headquarters, Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 54 Post Flight

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, right, meets with Expedition 54 NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba during their Expedition 54 post flight, Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at NASA Headquarters, Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 54 Post Flight

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba, center, tour the museum at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Friday, June 15, 2018 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba places a flower at the Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial, Friday, June 15, 2018 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba, center, meet with the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Friday, June 15, 2018 at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, meet with the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Friday, June 15, 2018 at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

Zero Boil-OFF Tank Hardware Setup

iss053e027051 (Sept. 19, 2017) --- Flight Engineer Joe Acaba works in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module setting up hardware for the Zero Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) experiment. ZBOT uses an experimental fluid to test active heat removal and forced jet mixing as alternative means for controlling tank pressure for volatile fluids. Rocket fuel, spacecraft heating and cooling systems, and sensitive scientific instruments rely on very cold cryogenic fluids. Heat from the environment around cryogenic tanks can cause their pressures to rise, which requires dumping or "boiling off" fluid to release the excess pressure, or actively cooling the tanks in some way.

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASM

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba right, answer audience questions with the Smithsonian's Marty Kelsey, center, during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASM

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba right, answer audience questions with the Smithsonian's Marty Kelsey, center, during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Stephanie Shelton, a payload communications manager at NASA's Ma

Stephanie Shelton, a payload communications manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, joins NASA astronauts Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei for a call to the onboard crew of the International Space Station. Vande Hei and Acaba visited Marshall April 11 for their honorary Expedition 54 plaque hanging ceremony and to provide valuable feedback of their on-orbit science investigations with the Payload Operations and Integration Center team..

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASM

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba right, answer audience questions with the Smithsonian's Marty Kelsey, center, during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Expedition 54 Soyuz MS-06 Landing

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, left, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, center, and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei sit in chairs outside the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft after they landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Tim Frank describes the history of the Tomb Guard to NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba, center, Friday, June 15, 2018 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, watch as Julie Vande Hei, wife of Mark, places a flower at the gravesite of former astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn, Friday, June 15, 2018 at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, right, shakes hands with Lieutenant Colonel Jeffery Todd Burroughs, battalion commander, Old Guard, Friday, June 15, 2018 at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

Expedition 31/32 crew member Joe Acaba during CAS/Robo Install Training

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei visit the Space Shuttle Challenger and Columbia memorials, Friday, June 15, 2018 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, speak about their time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at the DACOR Bacon House in Washington. The house is an early nineteenth century home and the current headquarters of DACOR Foundation, an organization of foreign affairs professionals. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the DACOR Bacon House

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASM

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei answers an audience members question during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Vande Hei and astronaut Joe Acaba answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the DACOR Bacon House

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, watch as Julie Vande Hei, wife of Mark, takes a moment after placing a flower at the gravesite of former astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn, Friday, June 15, 2018 at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

Expedition 54 Postflight Presentation at NASM

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei answers an audience members question during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Vande Hei and astronaut Joe Acaba answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

The departure of the SpaceX Dragon

Expedition 31 Crew Prepares For Launch

Expedition 31 Flight Engineer Joe Acaba, left, Soyuz Commander Gennady Padalka, and Flight Engineer Sergei Revin, right, don their Russian Sokol suits ahead of their launch onboard the Soyuz TMA-04M on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz spacecraft with Padalka, Revin, and Acaba onboard, launched at 9:01 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Tuesday, May 15. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, center, his wife Julie, left, and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba witness the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier, Friday, June 15, 2018 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, third from left, and Joe Acaba, third from right, meet with the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Friday, June 15, 2018 at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, center, his wife Julie, right, and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba witness the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier, Friday, June 15, 2018 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, Julie Vande Hei, center, and Joe Acaba pose for a photo at the amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery, Friday, June 15, 2018 in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba, center, listen as Sergeant Craig Hudson explains the tradition of the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Friday, June 15, 2018 at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba, right, present Jerry Farnsworth, chief of staff at Arlington National Cemetery with a montage from Expedition 54, Friday, June 15, 2018 in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba, right, present Jerry Farnsworth, chief of staff at Arlington National Cemetery with a patch flown onboard the International Space Station during Expedition 54, Friday, June 15, 2018 in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

Expedition 59 Landing Preparations

NASA astronaut and Astronaut Office Representative Joe Acaba is seen along with other NASA, Canadian Space Agency, and Roscosmos teams as they deploy from Karaganda to Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan in advance of the landing of Expedition 59 crew members Anne McClain of NASA, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency, and Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos, Monday, June 24, 2019. McClain, Saint-Jacques, and Kononenko are returning after 204 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 58 and 59 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

State of STEM (SoSTEM) Address

Montgomery Blair High School Student Newspaper “Silver Chips” Online Editor-in-Chief Aanchal Johri, right, and Photo Editor Emma Howells, left, from Silver Spring, MD. interview NASA Astronaut Joe Acaba at the annual White House State of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (SoSTEM) address, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014, in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right present a montage to the President of DACOR, Jim Benson, Friday, June 15, 2018 at the DACOR Bacon House in Washington. The house is an early nineteenth century home and the current headquarters of DACOR Foundation, an organization of foreign affairs professionals. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the DACOR Bacon House

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, center, and Joe Acaba, right, present Lieutenant Colonel Jeffery Todd Burroughs, battalion commander, Old Guard, and others from the Honor Guard with their patch that was flown onboard the International Space Station during Expedition 54, Friday, June 15, 2018 at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Astronauts Vande Hei and Acaba at the Arlington National Cemeter

NASA Astronaut Joe Acaba, left, is interviewed by National Geographic Kids reporter Trevor Jehl ahead of the annual White House State of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (SoSTEM) address, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014, in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

State of STEM (SoSTEM) Address

NASA Astronaut Joe Acaba, left, is interviewed by TIME for Kids reporter Grace Clark ahead of the annual White House State of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (SoSTEM) address, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014, in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

State of STEM (SoSTEM) Address

Expedition 70 Soyuz Landing

Expedition 70 NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, center, is seen with NASA Director for Human Space Flight Programs, Russia, Mark Thiessen, left, and NASA Chief of the Astronaut Office Joe Acaba, right, as she arrives at the Karaganda Airport in Kazakhstan a few hours after she, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya landed in their Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Saturday, April 6, 2024. O’Hara is returning to Earth after logging 204 days in space as a member of Expeditions 69-70 aboard the International Space Station and Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya return after having spent the last 14 days in space. Photo Credit (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 59 Soyuz MS-11 Landing

NASA astronaut and Astronaut Office Representative Joe Acaba gives a thumbs up as Expedition 59 NASA astronaut Anne McClain is helped out of the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft just minutes after she, Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Tuesday, June 25, 2019 Kazakh time (June 24 Eastern time). McClain, Saint-Jacques, and Kononenko are returning after 204 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 58 and 59 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 70 Soyuz Landing

Expedition 70 NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara is carried to a medical tent by NASA ISS Program Manager Dana Weigel, left, NASA Interpreter Ilya Shlepakov, and NASA Chief of the Astronaut Office Joe Acaba, right, shortly after she, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, and Belarus spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya, landed in their Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Saturday, April 6, 2024. O’Hara is returning to Earth after logging 204 days in space as a member of Expeditions 69-70 aboard the International Space Station and Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya return after having spent the last 14 days in space. Photo Credit (NASA/Bill Ingalls)