Published Aug 10, 2026, 8:03 AM EDT
56 NASA Astronauts Graduated From the Naval Academy. Here's Why
From test pilots to submarine officers, Annapolis alumni bring engineering rigor and high stakes operational experience to NASA.
Before Charlie Duke walked on the moon, he helped talk someone else down to it. Duke was sitting in Mission Control on July 20, 1969, serving as spacecraft communicator, or CAPCOM, as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended toward the lunar surface aboard Apollo 11. Less than three years later, Duke made the trip himself as lunar module pilot for Apollo 16. At 36, he became the 10th and youngest person to walk on the moon, a distinction he still holds. His route to NASA began at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1957. Now the Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation is using Duke's career to open a new podcast about a surprisingly large club: the 56 Naval Academy graduates who have become NASA astronauts. Voices from Orbit launched Aug. 4 with Duke as its first guest. The monthly series is expected to feature moon walkers, space shuttle pilots, former NASA administrators and younger graduates involved in the next era of human spaceflight. Duke is one of three Naval Academy graduates who have walked on the moon. Fifty-six astronauts is a remarkable return for one service academy. It also raises a pretty good question: Why Annapolis? Part of the explanation can be found in what happens to midshipmen after graduation.
