SpaceX Crew-11 launched on August 1, 2025, with Zena Cardman serving as commander of the mission. A geobiologist by training, she has spent her career bridging the gap between subsurface field research on Earth and the technical requirements of long-duration orbital missions for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Academic and Research Background
Born in 1987 in Urbana, Cardman pursued undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she completed a Bachelor of Science in biology with minors in chemistry and marine sciences. She later joined the research group of Dr. Andreas Teske to earn a Master of Science. Her early scientific investigations focused on biogeochemistry, specifically examining hydrocarbon seeps and hydrothermal vents. These projects involved extensive fieldwork, including expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as roles with the Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research Network. Prior to her astronaut selection, she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and a doctoral candidate in geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, researching novel redox couples within the subsurface environment.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →NASA Operations and Training
Cardman developed operational architectures for planetary extravehicular activity while supporting research in British Columbia, Idaho, and Hawaii. Her involvement with NASA projects spanned from 2008 to 2017, including the Pavilion Lake Research Project and the BASALT initiative. In June 2017, NASA selected her for Astronaut Group 22. She subsequently commenced two years of foundational training at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Beyond her scientific and flight duties, she served as an assistant engineer with the Sea Education Association, gaining experience in the engine room of a brigantine.
Spaceflight Assignments
NASA initially assigned Cardman as commander of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station, announced on January 31, 2024. Following scheduling shifts related to the return of the Boeing Starliner capsule, she was removed from the Crew-9 flight manifest to accommodate the return of astronauts Barry E. Wilmore and Sunita Williams. On September 28, 2024, she contributed to the agency's launch coverage for Crew-9 alongside Derrol Nail. Her subsequent command of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission, confirmed on March 27, 2025, involved sustained research, station maintenance, and technical demonstrations in low Earth orbit.
Fast facts
- Born: 1987, Urbana
- Citizenship: United States
- Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Pennsylvania State University
- Selected as Astronaut: June 2017
- SpaceX Crew-11 Launch Date: August 1, 2025
- Academic Focus: Geobiology and Biogeochemistry
Questions readers ask
What is Zena Cardman's professional background?
She is a geobiologist and NASA astronaut who studied biogeochemistry and novel redox couples in Earth's subsurface.
Did she fly on the SpaceX Crew-9 mission?
No, she was removed from the Crew-9 manifest to provide seat capacity for the return of Boeing Starliner astronauts.
Achievements
- Educated at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Pennsylvania State University and Bruton High School
- Worked as biologist and astronaut
