Shared Space

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick '05 reflects on his first mission into outer space

THIRTY-FOUR MINUTES.

That’s all the time it takes to travel more than 9,000 miles when you’re flying in a space capsule specifically designed to return astronauts to Earth.

“I remember very distinctly being over Australia,” says NASA Astronaut Matthew Dominick ’05 (BS/BA). “We were going 7,000 miles per hour, and then we did a deorbit burn to slow about 100 meters per second and dip our orbit enough so that the atmosphere does the rest of the work. So, 34 minutes from over Australia to subsonic speeds over the Gulf of Mexico to parachute deployment to splashdown. That’s pretty awesome.”

NASA SPACEX CREW-8

Dominick, commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission, returned home in late October after spending more than seven months in outer space. On March 2, 2024, he made history when he became the first University of San Diego alumnus to journey into outer space. Fellow Torero Jonny Kim ’12 (BA), flight engineer and crew member for the Expedition 73 mission, is currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 — composed of Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin — was the eighth rotation mission with SpaceX to the ISS. During the mission, the crew performed research, technology demonstrations and maintenance activities.

Dominick earned a dual BS/BA degree in electrical engineering from USD’s Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering. He was selected out of more than 18,300 candidates to join NASA as part of its 2017 astronaut candidate class of 12. The class also included Kim, who earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from USD.

LET’S SIT ON THE PATH

October 25, 2024.

It’s predawn in Pensacola along Florida’s Panhandle and Crew-8 has just arrived safely back on Earth. Only minutes earlier, the SpaceX Dragon capsule made a splashdown in a very precise target area amid the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. NASA’s recovery crew, outfitted with jet skis, beeline for the capsule, rapidly attach cables and tow it to a waiting ship that carefully cranes the vessel onto its deck. Secured, the capsule’s hatch opens.

Slowly, and with much support from the ground crew, Dominick exits and stands warily on solid ground for the first time in more than seven months.

Finally, he is back home.

It’s a dramatic conclusion to what felt like a long journey home — one that began days prior aboard the ISS, with meticulous packing, precise checks, relentless rechecks and a unique cultural tradition to ensure the crew a safe flight home.

“Imagine that you’ve been on vacation for eight months and now you have to pack everything — very specifically — and get into a small car and drive the long-distance home,” says Dominick.

The Dragon capsule has a center of mass and a center of lift, so it’s vital that the relationship is maintained upon reentry. The packing plan is precise, with every single item accounted for and properly secured.

“You can imagine that if something comes loose inside the capsule during reentry, it would move the center of mass and now that really critical component would be off and we may not be able to have correct guidance back to Earth,” Dominick explains.

With the Dragon fully packed and ready for departure, the goodbyes begin. For Dominick, it’s a memorable moment full of anticipation. To tamp down the anxiousness of undocking, the crew participates in a Russian tradition called prisyadem na dorozhku, literally translated to “let’s sit on the path.” It’s intended as a moment of silence to prepare for a safe trip, and an action Dominick has since adopted when his own family prepares for a vacation.

“Before you leave, you line up your suitcases and everyone sits on them, takes a deep breath, and thinks about whether maybe we forgot something,” says Dominick. “Once you close that hatch, there’s no going back — you’re going to undock from the space station and go home.”

AN AUTHENTIC AND INTERACTIVE RELATIONSHIP

It’s the year 2000, and Dominick, a first-year student at USD, is sitting at a desk in his residence hall working on an assignment for an introductory engineering course. The task? Develop and publish a website.

“It sounds silly in 2025, but this was a quarter century ago — the internet was still relatively new,” he recalls. “I remember exactly what desk I was sitting in. I published the website and I had this thought, ‘The barriers to publication have completely changed; the world is about to change’.”

The reflection stems from a conversation about astrophotography, a niche type of the visual medium focused on capturing celestial objects, like stars, planets and galaxies. For many astronauts, it’s a skill taught by NASA to complete the task of documentation aboard the ISS.

For Dominick, it’s so much more.

A student of the art form, Dominick made photography central to his identity aboard the orbiting laboratory. According to NASA, he alone shot roughly 500,000 images throughout the seven months he was stationed on the ISS. Along with capturing breathtaking images of Earth, including active hurricanes and other powerful weather systems, the striking colors of the aurora borealis — among his favorites — and even a solar eclipse, Dominick was proactive in sharing both the photos and his creative process with the world through social media.

“We live in an incredible time,” says Dominick. “Twenty-five years later and I’m on the space station now. I can take imagery, which is an incredible communication tool — and video — and not only can I share it with the world but I can also have a two-way conversation with folks on Earth.”

Red and green aurora appear to dance in a timelapse as we flyby looking out Dragon Endeavour’s window with Dragon Freedom in view.

We shot a couple thousand images yesterday trying to get the settings, lighting, and framing just right across multiple orbital nights because the… pic.twitter.com/Y3IhlqTNrO

— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) October 8, 2024

His social posts often yielded interesting, real-time conversations among users, who ran the gamut from professional and amateur photographers to business accounts to individuals with a general interest in space travel. And Dominick was often involved, answering their questions regarding approach and camera settings to general inquiries asking if it was really him replying (he’d occasionally reply with a vague “yes” to those as a humorous form of entertainment for himself).

“It created an authentic and interactive relationship with folks who could actually feel like they were there,” Dominick says. “A smart person once told me that interested people are interesting. So, if you’re talking and sharing about things that interest you, you’re going to be an interesting person to interact with and it’s going to be entertaining content.”

But it wasn’t just his successes — Dominick was also sharing images and videos that didn’t necessarily hit the mark. “Another tidbit I picked up in some public engagement training,” he says, with a smile. “People don’t care about your successes; they care about your messes. I was sharing my mistakes, and it was generating authentic experiences with folks.”

MAINTAINING MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH ART

As fun and engaging as the image sharing and social interactions were for people on the ground, the process was also beneficial for Dominick’s mental health. Aboard the ISS for more than half a year, it’s vital to find a hobby, he says.

For him, it was honing his photography chops.

“Our physical and mental health are intertwined,” he says. “We work out every day, and for me, taking pictures was a huge part of maintaining my mental health. It was a good way to escape the day-to-day work up there. A huge component of my mental health was taking a whole bunch of pictures and sharing them with the world to stay connected with humans on Earth.”

Different astronauts have different hobbies, but everyone has something, he reiterated. To Dominick, every person should have something they are passionate about. “My advice to kids when they ask for advice is honestly, stop the endless scrolling on your phone. Go build something, make something, learn something.”

FRAGILITY, AMPLIFIED

Orbiting the Earth 16 times per day certainly has a unique way of heightening one’s perspective of humanity.

“The fragility of our planet is amplified,” says Dominick. “Viewing Earth from the ISS, you realize how thin the atmosphere is and what little separation humans have from space and the fragility of our civilization.”

Constantly viewing the Earth from above has inspired Dominick to travel to places he has never ventured. “We orbited over parts of the Earth that are absolutely inspirational,” he says. “Specifically, the western side of South America. The mountains down there look incredible.”

Along with personal travel, Dominick continues to travel with NASA to promote the importance of space exploration and has since resumed his job developing new spacecraft technology.

“My background is flight testing for the U.S. Navy, so you bring that skillset over. Once you have that experience flying in space, you now apply it. It’s a big contribution.”

— By Matthew Piechalak

This story was featured in the spring 2025 issue of University of San Diego Magazine. University of San Diego Magazine is the flagship publication of the University of San Diego. Published two times a year, the magazine is distributed to alumni, parents and friends of the university.