Aerospace student and Navy Lt. is shooting for the stars

Matthew Skotnicki, a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy working towards a master’s in aerospace engineering at the University of California San Diego, got a close look at the NASA Artemis mission’s Orion capsule after it splashed down in San Diego upon its return from orbiting the far side of the moon.

It was a great experience, but it wasn’t enough for Skotnicki. His ultimate goal? To actually fly in such a capsule, as an astronaut on a mission like Artemis.

He’s working hard to try and be one step closer to the action during NASA’s Artemis III mission, currently planned for 2027, where he hopes to be part of the Spacecraft Recovery Program tasked with safely getting all astronauts and equipment back on land.

To be as well equipped as possible, Skotnicki is earning his divemaster qualification this summer; supplementing his pilot’s license with the Instrument Flight Rules rating; and working toward his skydiving license – “Just because skydiving is fun.”

This is in addition to an already taxing schedule. In his Navy role, Skotnicki is a Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Junior Officer of the Deck instructor at Naval Base San Diego, teaching upcoming officers how to operate the LCS class of ships.

“We teach everything from meteorology, to radar, to the components of the LCS, Navy fundamentals in firefighting, everything that goes hand-in-hand with deck life,” said Skotnicki.

In the afternoons, he takes graduate courses in aerospace engineering at UC San Diego.

“I love learning and going back to school, so I knew I wanted to earn a master’s,” said Skotnicki. “I love understanding new things and meeting new people, and UC San Diego is right here, just a short drive from base, so it was just a great fit.”

Skotnicki plans to pursue the thesis track for his master’s, likely focusing his research on plasma physics.

“I enjoy electricity and magnetism, which are big parts of plasma physics. There are also many use cases for plasma physics in aviation and aerospace, things like ion thrusters for spaceships. Plus, fusion is the energy of the future, so having this background would be a good boost for me.”

Skotnicki felt he had an obligation to serve the United States after hearing stories from his grandfather, a D-Day veteran in the United States Army who liberated concentration camps in his native Poland.

Skotnicki joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at Penn State, where he earned his bachelor’s in aerospace engineering. After graduation and commissioning as an officer in the U.S. Navy, he was sent to San Diego and deployed on the USS Somerset.

This deployment happened right at the start of Covid, so for 10 months the amphibious transport dock didn’t have any port calls. Skotnicki and the Somerset crew stayed aboard the ship for all 10 months and conducted operations all around the world.

“It was 110 degrees in Somalia and then it was snowing in Alaska – we really covered a lot of terrain.”

Skotnicki was then stationed on the USS Mobile before his current role as an instructor at Naval Base San Diego. He plans to graduate with his master’s in 2027 and then throw his name in the ring to be an astronaut whenever NASA next opens applications. If that doesn’t pan out?

“It’s hard to say, because I put a lot of effort into Plan A,” said Skotnicki. “Any effort I put into Plan B takes away from Plan A. So all mental framework and neurons are activating toward Plan A.”