usa.rugby — USA Eagle #221 Erin Overcash has been selected as a NASA Astronaut Candidate, joining Anne McClain and Jessica Watkins as USA Eagles to earn this prestigious honor. [lead photo: Overcash, far left, in 2013 / c/o USA Rugby]
Capped in 2013 against France, the former utility back and now US Navy Lieutenant Commander has been selected as one of NASA’s ten new astronaut candidates, a selection process that involved a competitive field of more than 8,000 applicants.
A resident of USA Rugby Women’s National Team program at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, Overcash trained full-time as part of the Navy’s World Class Athlete Program honing the discipline and resilience required to represent at the international level.
Speaking on Tuesday with USA Rugby, Overcash said of her rugby experience, “[Rugby] taught me how to quickly work with a variety of people and develop a level of commitment and vulnerability as a collective. It taught me to make fast-paced decisions and teamwork under pressure.”
As a player, Overcash looked up to fellow rugby veteran and NASA candidate Anne C. McClain, and was a teammate of Jessica Watkins who also earned this extraordinary honor. She values teamwork and mentorship, praising highwoman environments and emphasizing the importance of “finding people who do what you want to do, surrounding yourself in that culture, and emulating what they do well.”
And the attribution to her success – she continued that there’s “no such thing as talent. The secret to success is work capacity and the desire to keep grinding. If you work harder than anyone else, you will thrive.”
Overcash holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and a master’s in bioastronautics from the University of Colorado, Boulder. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and an experienced F/A-18E/F Super Hornet pilot, she has logged over 1,300 flight hours in 20 different aircraft and has completed 249 carrier arrested landings. At the time of her selection, she was training for a squadron department head tour.
Now alongside her class of candidates, she will embark on a nearly two year training block to become eligible for flight assignments, continuing a journey that parallels with a competitive campaign on a rugby pitch constantly striving to improve and outplay the opposition looking forward to 2027 where her journey may land her among the stars where missions will support science and exploration to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars.