September 22, 2025 |
GEL Alum Selected for NASA’s 2025 Astronaut Candidate Class
Current U.S. Air Force Maj. Adam Fuhrmann ’11 is the GEL Program’s first astronaut candidate! He is one of 10 individuals chosen from a field of 8,000 applicants for the 2025 astronaut candidate class, NASA announced today in a live ceremony. Watch Fuhrmann’s introduction.
This is NASA’s 24th class of astronaut candidates since the first Mercury 7 astronauts were chosen in 1959.
The class now begins two years of training that includes instruction and skills development for complex operations aboard the International Space Station, Artemis missions to the Moon, and beyond. Specifically, training includes robotics, land and water survival, geology, foreign language, space medicine and physiology, and more, while also conducting simulated spacewalks and flying high-performance jets.
A Course 16 alum, Fuhrmann has served as a U.S. Air Force Fighter Pilot and Experimental Test Pilot for nearly 14 years. (Bio below.) While at MIT, he was a member of Air Force ROTC Detachment 365 and was selected as the third-ever student leader of the GEL Program as a GEL2 in spring 2011.
GEL Founding and Executive Director Leo McGonagle recalled that Fuhrmann was a very early participant in GEL from 2009-11 and one of only 11 students in the GEL2 cohort then.
“The GEL Program was still in its infancy during this time and was in somewhat of a fragile state as we were seeking to grow and cement ourselves as a viable MIT program. As the fall 2010 semester was winding down, it was evident that the program needed an effective GEL2 student leader during the spring semester, who could lead by example and inspire fellow students and who was an example of what right looks like. I knew Adam was already an emerging leader as a senior cadet in MIT’s Air Force ROTC Detachment, so I tapped him for the role of spring student leader of GEL,” said McGonagle.
Fuhrmann initially sought to decline this role, citing his time as a leader in ROTC. But McGonagle, having led the Army ROTC Program prior to GEL, felt that the GEL Student Leader role would challenge and develop Fuhrmann in other ways. In GEL, he would be charged with leading and inspiring students from a broad background of experiences, and focused exclusively on leading within engineering contexts, while engaging with engineering industry organizations.
“GEL needed strong student leadership at this time, so Adam took on the role, and it ended up being a win-win for both him and the program. He later expressed to me that the experience challenged him in ways that he hadn’t anticipated and complemented his Air Force ROTC leadership development. He was grateful for the opportunity, and the program stabilized and grew under Adam’s leadership. He was the right student at the right time and place,” said McGonagle.
Fuhrmann’s place for the next two years will be NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. When he completes basic training, Fuhrmann will receive his astronaut pin and become the 45th MIT alum to become a flight-eligible astronaut.
Fuhrmann has remained connected to the GEL program. He asked McGonagle to administer his oath of commissioning into the U.S. Air Force, with his entire family in attendance, at the historic Bunker Hill Monument in Boston. “One of my proudest GEL memories,” said McGonagle, who is a former U.S. Army Lt. Colonel.
Throughout his time in service which included overseas deployments, Fuhrmann has actively participated in Junior Engineering Leader’s Roundtable leadership labs (ELLs) with GEL students, and he has kept in touch with his GEL2 cohort.
“Adam’s GEL2 cohort meets informally once or twice a year, usually via Zoom, to share and discuss professional challenges, lessons learned, life stories, to keep in touch with each other. This small but excellent group of GEL alum is committed to staying connected and supporting one another, as part of the broader GEL community,” said McGonagle.
“We are tremendously proud of Adam for this notable accomplishment, and we look forward to following his journey through astronaut candidate school and beyond.”
Congratulations Adam!
About Adam Fuhrmann
Adam Fuhrmann, 35, major, U.S. Air Force, is from Leesburg, Virginia, and has accumulated more than 2,100 flight hours in 27 aircraft, including the F-16 and F-35. He holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and master’s degrees in flight test engineering and systems engineering from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and Purdue University, respectively. He has deployed in support of Operations Freedom’s Sentinel and Resolute Support, logging 400 combat hours. At the time of his selection, Fuhrmann served as the director of operations for an Air Force flight test unit.
2025 Astronaut Candidate Class
U.S. Army CW3 Ben Bailey, U.S. Air Force Maj. Cameron Jones, Katherine Spies, Anna Menon, U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Erin Overcash, U.S. Air Force Maj. Adam Fuhrmann, Dr. Lauren Edgar, Yuri Kubo, Rebecca Lawler, and Dr. Imelda Muller.