'It’s totally surreal': UNC's fourth astronaut graduate recalls her path to NASA

Posted Nov 8, 2019
One UNC alumna may soon have an out-of-this-world experience — literally. Zena Cardman, who graduated with her master's in 2014, is a NASA astronaut candidate who has spent the past two years training for potential space travel. “I actually didn’t grow up always wanting to be an astronaut,” Cardman said. “I wanted to do all kinds of different things." (Daily Tar Heel)

Related: Campus Connections

UNC journalism students report on Winter Olympics in Milan, 'rush' a fountain when UNC beats Duke
Since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Hussman School has sent students to cover the Games multiple times under professor C.A. Tuggle — but this was...
Sat Mar 7, 2026

UNC and Duke ROTC To Ruck Men's Basketball Game Ball To Durham Friday
Members of the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) from UNC and Duke will ceremonially tip off the season-ending matchup between the schools' men's basketball...
Thu Mar 5, 2026

“Every life is worth saving”: How a UNC researcher’s website is connecting communities to naloxone
Delesha Carpenter began her career as a researcher focused on pediatrics. About seven years ago, her path took an unexpected turn following the deaths of...
Wed Mar 4, 2026

Meet Sutton's Drug Store owner Don Pinney
Opened in 1923 by Lynwood and Lucy Sutton, Sutton's Drug Store was sold to Elliott Brummitt in 1965 with the understanding that the store wouldn’t...
Fri Feb 27, 2026