LOUISVILLE, Ky (WDRB) — Yuri Kubo, a Columbus, Indiana, native, was just selected as a 2025 astronaut candidate for NASA.
He reported for duty in September, one of 10 new astronaut candidates who will complete nearly two years of training before becoming eligible for flight assignments supporting future science and exploration missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon and Mars.
WDRB’s Valerie Chinn interviewed Kubo about his journey. You can watch segments above and read a transcript of the interview below:
Q: ” There were 8,000 applicants, so what does this mean to you?
Kubo: “It means everything. I’ve wanted to do this since I was little. It’s quite an honor to have made it. I’m — pun intended — over the moon. I wake up pinching myself every day.”
Q: “What will you do after your training is finished?”
Kubo: “After training is finished, we wait to see if we get a flight assignment. … When you are waiting to be assigned, there’s so much cool stuff to do.”
Q: “You are from southern Indiana. How do you think that has prepared you and just your upbringing to do what you are doing today?”
Kubo: “I love the Midwest. I think it’s great, and — the Midwest, the thing I would characterize it — there’s an overwhelming sense of community and just looking out for each other. In a small town like Columbus, Indiana, people know each other. … You understand the challenges of our neighbors. You understand what they’re doing, what they’re going through. ‘Team care’ is what we call it. I think, growing up in Indiana, there was a lot of it. It was good people looking out for each other, and that was an important part of my upbringing that I’m hopefully able to bring here.”
Q: “You went to Purdue University, so how did that prepare you for working at NASA?
Kubo: “Purdue is great. It is very challenging. Professors pride themselves on being hard. You know what? That’s great. At the time, it felt cruel. But, actually, that amount of preparation, that amount of focus on excellence … that’s what you need in order to be successful as an astronaut or at a high level anywhere you go.”
Q: “How cool would it be to get selected to go to space? I’m sure that’s a difficult process and how do people get selected to go to space?”
Kubo: “You do your training … and it depends on what the mission set is. It depends on the crew they want and expertise they are looking for. Then, they’ll assign that crew to go on a particular mission. Just waiting to be assigned is pretty incredible.”
Q: “What mission would be your dream?”
Kubo: “I’d have to say walking on the moon. Don’t get me wrong, Mars would be great. That would be an incredible mission as well. It’s far away, and I don’t know if my wife would be super excited about me going to Mars.”
Q: “What do you say to kids who also want to become an astronaut someday?”
Kubo: “The odds are low. So the thing that people really need to do is really find your passion and pursue that. You never know what little thing could disqualify you from becoming an astronaut. There are so many different reasons it’s not a right fit, but if you pursue your passion, you’ll always be happy, even if this particular thing doesn’t work out. You’re still doing what you love.”
Q: “Lastly, what’s the coolest thing you’ve done so far in your training?”
Kubo: “I’ve had the opportunity to scuba dive in a neutral buoyancy lab … full mockup of the International Space Station underwater there. … It’s just this amazing feeling to swim around, neutrally buoyant. It was a bucket list item for sure.”
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