Robert Hines Jr. is a colonel in the United States Air Force and an astronaut at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. His journey exemplifies a distinguished career marked by global military service, groundbreaking flight achievements, and steadfast guidance in shaping the next generation of NASA leadership.
Hines earned a bachelor’s in aerospace engineering from Boston University. Following graduation from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, he was awarded a master’s in flight test engineering, and he earned a master’s in aerospace engineering from The University of Alabama Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering.
Hines served 27 years in the Air Force as an instructor pilot, fighter pilot, and test pilot in missions throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. He completed two assignments with the Air Force Reserve and worked as a flight test pilot for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Hines began working as a research pilot at NASA in 2012 and ultimately was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class. Following training, he worked as the astronaut technical lead for the Orion spacecraft as well as the astronaut representative and a flight control specialist on the SpaceX Starship Lunar Lander.
During his career, he has accumulated more than 4,000 hours of flight time in 50 different types of aircraft and has flown 76 combat missions in three different aircraft types while supporting contingency operations around the world. Hines served as the pilot on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station in 2022, during which he logged 170 days in space.
Following his space flight, Hines became the lead for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Joint Test Team and the assistant to the chief astronaut for commercial crew. He is currently serving a rotation as the chief of the Aircraft Operations Division, where he leads a team of 260 civil servants and contractors.
Hines’ service has resulted in several awards, such as the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the Air Force Bobby Bond Memorial Aviator Award, and various other esteemed service medals and awards. Hines is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, the Association of Space Explorers, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Hines lives in Houston, Texas, alongside his wife, Kelli, and three daughters.