Human Spaceflight Center
Experienced Leadership
The Human Spaceflight Center at Sierra Space is the foundation for our astronaut corps and our Astronaut Training Academy.
Dr. Janet Kavandi
President and Chief Science Officer
The Human Spaceflight Center and Astronaut Training Academy is led by former NASA Astronaut, Center Director, and Director of Flight Crew Operations Dr. Janet Kavandi.
Dr. Kavandi serves as President and Chief Science Officer for Sierra Space and is responsible for the selection, training, and human health of Sierra Space’s corps of Career astronauts, as well as our Specialist and Experiential Astronauts who will go to space for work or for leisure.
Before joining Sierra Space, Dr. Kavandi served 25 years at NASA where she was Director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center. Prior to that, she was Director of Flight Crew Operations and Deputy Director of Health and Human Performance at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. She was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1994 and flew on three space shuttle missions, STS-91, STS-99, and STS-104, visiting both the Mir Space Station and the International Space Station, and logging 33 days in space and 13.1 million miles in 535 Earth orbits.
The recipient of two Presidential Rank Awards, two NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals, two Exceptional Service Medals, three NASA Space Flight Medals and the Distinguished Service Medal, Dr. Kavandi was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2019.
Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree from Missouri Southern State University, a Master of Science from the Missouri University of Science and Technology and a PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of Washington.
Dr. Thomas Marshburn
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Tom Marshburn serves as Chief Medical Officer for Sierra Space, leading the medical team for the Human Spaceflight Center and Astronaut Training Academy. He is responsible for the human health of Sierra Space’s corps of our Career, Specialist, and Experiential astronauts.
Before joining Sierra Space, Dr. Marshburn served 28 years at NASA, where he was a veteran of three spaceflights, STS-127, Expedition 34/35, and Expedition 66/67 as part of Crew-3. Prior his selection as an astronaut in 2004, Dr. Marshburn served as a Flight Surgeon for the Space Shuttle Medical Operations and the joint U.S./Russian Space Program. He also served as Medical Operations Lead for the International Space Station and piloted the NASA SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station. Marshburn was a flight engineer on Expedition 66 and commander of Expedition 67. He spent 337 total days in space over his career and over 24 hours on spacewalks.
Dr. Marshburn is the recipient of NASA Superior Achievement Award, the Space and Life Sciences Division Special Space Flight Achievement Award twice, and the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Superior Achievement Award.
Tom holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Davidson College, North Carolina, a Masters in Engineering Physics from the University of Virginia, a Doctorate of Medicine from Wake Forest University, and a Masters in Medical Science from the University of Texas Medical Branch.
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