Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) – A University of Tennessee graduate has been named commander of a key NASA mission aimed at returning astronauts to the moon.
Randy “Komrade” Bresnik will lead the Artemis III mission, which is part of NASA’s broader plan to establish a sustained human presence on the lunar surface. The mission will involve four astronauts orbiting Earth while practicing critical docking procedures between the Orion capsule and two lunar landers.
Bresnik brings decades of experience to the role. He earned a Master of Science in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee in 2002, after completing his undergraduate degree in mathematics at The Citadel. He later received an honorary doctorate in aeronautics from the same institution.
Before joining NASA in 2004, Bresnik served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. He also trained at the Marine Corps Weapons and Tactics Instructors Course and the Navy’s elite TOPGUN program.
According to NASA, Bresnik has logged more than 7,000 hours in a variety of aircraft and spacecraft. Most recently, he served as assistant to the chief of the Astronaut Office for Exploration, where he helped oversee development and testing for Artemis mission systems.
Bresnik joins a list of notable UT-affiliated astronauts, including Butch Wilmore, who recently retired after an extended mission aboard the International Space Station.
