RyeGPT People of Note: NASA Astronaut Nicholas Patrick
RyeGPT People of Note is a series highlighting individuals who have a connection to the City of Rye. In the series we ask OpenAI’s ChatGPT to prepare a biography and explain the individual’s connection to Rye.
We welcome your feedback on this series – the use of artificial intelligence, the accuracy and usefulness of each article and your assistance in understanding other pertinent insights related to the person’s connection to Rye.
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Nicholas Patrick, born on November 19, 1964, in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, England, is a British-American engineer, commercial pilot, and former NASA astronaut best known for his role in two Space Shuttle missions to the International Space Station. His early life took him from England to the United States, where he spent part of his childhood in Rye, New York, during the 1970s.
After completing his secondary education in Rye at Midland and Osborn Schools, Patrick returned to the United Kingdom and earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Cambridge. He later moved back to the U.S. to pursue graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), receiving both a Master of Science and a Doctorate in mechanical engineering. His research at MIT focused on human-machine interaction, an area directly applicable to spaceflight.
In 1998, Patrick was selected by NASA as a mission specialist and completed astronaut training in 2000. He flew on two missions: STS-116 aboard Discovery in December 2006 and STS-130 aboard Endeavour in February 2010. On STS-116, he conducted two spacewalks to reconfigure the ISS power system. On STS-130, he played a key role in installing the Tranquility node and Cupola module—components that remain vital parts of the ISS today. Across both missions, he logged over 26 days in space and completed more than 18 hours of extravehicular activity.
Following his retirement from NASA in 2012, Patrick joined the private space sector and held leadership positions at Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, where he helped develop human-rated spacecraft systems. He has also advocated for STEM education and mentored students interested in aerospace careers.
Connection to Rye, New York
In April 2010, Patrick returned to Rye for a two-day visit at the Rye Free Reading Room and local elementary schools. He spoke at Milton, Midland, and Osborn schools about his Endeavour space mission and answered students’ questions about NASA and space.
