NASA hires its third Indian-origin astronaut Raja Chari
US Air Force's Lt Col Raja Chari has been selected by NASA from over 18,300 applicants for its 2017 Astronaut Class. The 39-year-old, whose father hails from India, is the third Indian-origin NASA astronaut after Sunita Williams and late Kalpana Chawla. Chari has earned a Master's degree from MIT and graduated from the US Naval Test Pilot School.