Space Force Guardian Colonel Nick Hague on Life in Space and Military Service Beyond Earth

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When Colonel Nick Hague looks down at Kansas from the International Space Station, he sees a full-circle moment decades in the making. The Space Force Guardian, who grew up stargazing in rural Kansas where "there's a lack of light pollution, and so the night skies are fabulous," recently returned from his second long-duration mission to the ISS, bringing with him insights about both the wonder of space exploration and the critical military operations that make it all possible.

In a recent episode of This Week in Space, hosts Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik sat down with Colonel Nick Hague to discuss his unique position as the first Space Force Guardian to launch an entire mission from start to finish. His story illuminates not just the personal journey from small-town dreamer to space explorer, but the evolving role of America's newest military branch in protecting assets that have become essential to modern life.

From Stargazer to Guardian

Hague's path to space began with childhood curiosity about the cosmos. "I would look up at the stars, you know, as cheesy as they might sound, and just wonder what, what is out there and that got me interested," he explained. This early fascination evolved into professional ambition through military service, where he discovered that working "in small teams, handling complex equipment and making that equipment... do things that they hadn't done before" aligned perfectly with human space exploration.

After graduating from the Air Force Academy and serving as a flight test engineer, Hague joined NASA in 2013. His transition to the Space Force in early 2021 made practical sense, as he noted: "for the most part everything that I'd done in the Air Force was related to space. It just made sense."

The significance of this transition became clear during his most recent mission. Launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as the first Guardian to command a spacecraft, Hague represented not just personal achievement but the growing intersection between military space operations and civilian exploration. "It was made doubly special because I launched off a Slick 40 over at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and you know we were the first humans to launch off that launch pad and it was on a Space Force Station," he reflected.

The Hidden Infrastructure of Modern Life

While much attention focuses on the glamorous aspects of space exploration, Colonel Hague emphasized how Space Force operations invisibly support daily life on Earth. The most ubiquitous example is GPS, which "everybody uses that on their smartphones." But the impact goes far deeper than navigation.

"More probably more important, is the timing signal that comes off of that. It underpins our entire financial system," Hague explained. Every electronic payment, from Apple Pay to bank transfers, relies on GPS timing synchronization. This dependency illustrates why the Space Force's mission extends far beyond science fiction scenarios of space combat.

The service's 10,000 Guardians, though small compared to other military branches, have an outsized impact. As Hague noted, "10,000 guardians compared to, like, the Marine Corps, which is over a hundred thousand people. So the Space Force is small and with that small number we do a lot." Host Rod Pyle jokingly wondered whether "the Marines got rankled when they realized there was going to be a smaller, more elite force out there."

Space Traffic Control

Perhaps nowhere is the Space Force's role more critical than in tracking the growing congestion of objects in Earth orbit. Hague witnessed this evolution firsthand between his 2019 and 2024 missions, describing a dramatic increase in visible satellites, particularly Starlink constellations, which appear "like fireflies flying around and moving in strange ways" when viewed from the ISS.

The Space Force tracks approximately 50,000 objects in space, from active satellites to debris, providing collision warnings that allow NASA to move the space station when necessary. "If there's something that's gonna come too close to us, they give Mission Control in Houston a call hey, NASA, we're tracking this object, and then NASA can move the space station out of the way, and that's critical," Hague explained.

This capability becomes increasingly vital as commercial space activities expand. The partnership between military space operations and civilian exploration creates a foundation that enables both NASA missions and commercial ventures to operate safely in an increasingly crowded orbital environment.

The Reality of Life in Space

Beyond the technical aspects, Hague offered fascinating insights into the human experience of space travel. His description of sleeping in zero gravity sounds almost enviable: "I just kind of float back and forth and my body goes into a natural resting position... it's the best sleep because you don't toss and turn, you don't have a sore neck or an arm that you've laid on and it's fallen asleep."

The return to Earth's gravity brings its own challenges. "Your subconscious, for a little while, still predicts things are going to float," Hague described. "So you take off a shirt and you throw it onto the bed and it falls. And it falls and it looks to you like it weighs like 50 pounds, even though it's just a regular t-shirt."

Physical readaptation requires months of intensive rehabilitation. "It's not all land and celebrations and going to your favorite amusement park. It's. There's a lot of hard work. That happens the first couple of months right after landing," involving "a couple hours a day, seven days a week, working with a strength and reconditioning coach."

Surviving the Unthinkable

One of the most compelling aspects of Hague's experience involves his 2018 launch abort, one of only three times the Soyuz escape system has activated. The incident, which occurred shortly after maximum aerodynamic pressure and first-stage separation, lasted only 20 minutes but required years of training to handle effectively.

"We spend 95% of our time training for things that could go wrong," Hague explained. During the emergency, he maintained communication in Russian, the operational language for Soyuz systems. "There are things that happen inside of Soyuz that I can only describe in Russian because that's how I learned it," he noted, demonstrating the level of technical immersion required for international space operations.

The experience illustrates what might be called "astronaut tough" - the combination of technical expertise, mental resilience, and teamwork that enables space exploration. As Hague put it, the ability to "compartmentalize all the emotions. Set that aside, focus on what do I need to do in order to make sure that we get back down to the ground safely" relies on extensive preparation and the support of "thousands around the globe that train us."

Looking Forward

For students interested in space careers, whether through NASA or the Space Force, Hague emphasized that "there is no one pathway." Success requires strong STEM education, but the field's diversity means "if you want to find a place, you're gonna be able to find a place." The key factors are solid technical foundation, passion for the work, and persistence.

The Space Force, despite being "just over five years old," offers particular opportunities for impact due to its small size and expanding mission. As space becomes increasingly important to national security and economic activity, the service's role will likely grow significantly.

Looking toward lunar exploration and Mars missions, Hague sees continued partnership between military and civilian space operations. "In the same way that the Space Force has enabled us to thrive in the low Earth orbit environment... it's going to be necessary to continue to make sure that we have that stability as NASA goes forward."

The Power of Collaboration

Colonel Hague's closing message emphasized collaboration as the key to space exploration's success. The International Space Station represents "two and a half decades of doing scientific research in low Earth orbit and for the purpose of trying to gain more knowledge and for the benefit of humanity." This achievement required bringing together "a huge, very diverse team together from around the globe, with all of these different perspectives and backgrounds and experiences and cultures."

This collaborative spirit extends to the relationship between military and civilian space operations. The Space Force doesn't just protect American interests; it creates stability that enables international cooperation in space exploration. As commercial space activities expand and nations return to the Moon, this foundation of military space expertise will become increasingly valuable.

For Colonel Hague, representing the Space Force in orbit was "a real honor" and "a privilege," highlighting work that "create[s] this stability and access to space for everyone else, commercial as well as NASA." His experience demonstrates how military service in space serves not just national defense, but the broader human endeavor of exploration and discovery.

The intersection of military space operations and civilian exploration, embodied in Colonel Hague's career, suggests a future where space activities will require continued cooperation between diverse organizations and nations. As humanity expands beyond Earth orbit, the lessons learned from managing low Earth orbit traffic and enabling International Space Station operations will prove invaluable for sustainable exploration of the solar system.