Central Florida native heading to space with NASA's Crew-13 ISS Mission

Another crew of astronauts is preparing to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) from Florida’s Space Coast, and for one member of the team, the mission marks a major homecoming. NASA astronaut Luke Delaney, a Central Florida native, is serving as the pilot for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission.Central Florida Native Turned NASA AstronautDelaney considers DeBary, Florida, his hometown. He graduated from Deltona High School in 1997 before pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of North Florida (UNF), graduating in 2006. He later earned a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2016.Delaney was selected in NASA’s 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class and reported for duty in January 2022. Now preparing for his very first voyage into microgravity, Delaney says the reality of the moment is setting in."I’m real excited, the closer we get, the more real it seems," Delaney said.Growing up in Central Florida watching Space Shuttle la