Nebraska astronaut Clayton Anderson lands perfect job

ASHLAND, Neb. (WOWT) - Retired NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson has landed the perfect job in his hometown of Ashland, Nebraska.

The Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum announced Thursday that Anderson started his new position as president and chief executive officer of the museum earlier this month.

The chair of the museum board of directors, Gary Gates, said Anderson’s unique professional experiences align perfectly with the mission of the museum.

Anderson was with NASA for three decades. He took part in four space missions and spent 167 days in space which included six spacewalks.

Anderson retired from NASA in 2013 and is a professor of practice at Iowa State University teaching intro to Aerospace Engineering for first-year students. His courses include tops of the space environment, the history and future of space, spacecraft environmental control systems, ethics, and teamwork.

The museum is preparing to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2023. Anderson said he was looking forward to working with communities throughout the region to tell the story of Nebraska and America’s role in military command and its relationship with space exploration.