NASA Astronaut Candidate Adam Fuhrmann

Adam Fuhrmann, Major, U.S. Air Force 

Summary

Adam Fuhrmann was selected by NASA to join the 2025 astronaut candidate class. He reported for duty in September 2025. He is a major in the United States Air Force and has accumulated more than 2,100 flight hours, including 400 combat hours, in 27 aircraft types. He has a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also holds master’s degrees in flight test engineering and systems engineering from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and Purdue University, respectively. At the time of his selection, Fuhrmann served as the director of operations for an Air Force flight test unit. 

Personal

Fuhrmann was born in Brandywine, Pennsylvania, but he considers Leesburg, Virginia, his hometown. His parents, Henri and Amanda Fuhrmann, live in Viera, Florida. He is married to Shauna Fuhrmann, a U.S. Army veteran and small animal veterinarian, and they have three children. He enjoys camping, hiking, skiing, hunting, leatherworking, and classic car restoration. 

Education

Fuhrmann graduated from Heritage High School in Leesburg in 2007. He then studied aerospace engineering with a minor in political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2011. He was an Air Force ROTC program member at MIT’s Detachment 365 and earned his officer commission at graduation. He then attended the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and earned his master’s in flight test engineering in 2020. He also graduated from Purdue University in 2022 with a master’s in systems engineering. 

Experience

After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, he was assigned to the 416th and 461st Flight Test Squadrons at Edwards Air Force Base in California. There, he conducted developmental testing on F-16 blocks 15–52 and 70, as well as the F-35A and F-35C, in support of the U.S. and international partner fighter fleets. Before his role as a test pilot, Fuhrmann was an operational F-16 instructor pilot, completing assignments at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina, Kunsan Air Base in South Korea, and Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. In 2016, he deployed in support of Operations Freedom’s Sentinel and Resolute Support, logging 400 combat hours. Fuhrmann has accumulated more than 2,100 flight hours, in 27 different aircraft, primarily the F-16 and F-35. 

At the time of his selection, Fuhrmann was serving as director of operations for a flight test unit and had recently completed a test assignment at Edwards. 

NASA Experience

Fuhrmann reported for duty in September 2025 to complete two years of initial astronaut training. 

Awards/Honors

Awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal (four awards), Aerial Achievement Medal (three awards), Air & Space Commendation Medal (two awards), Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, and other service and unit awards. He was named a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Squadron Officer School, and Air Force ROTC. 

Organizations

MIT Alumni Association, Society of Experimental Test Pilots