Middle Tennessee native and astronaut Barry Wilmore has retired from NASA on the heels of an unexpected 286-day mission in space that he returned from in March.

Wilmore, 62, is a 1981 Mt. Juliet High School graduate who went on to Tennessee Tech University, where he played football. Wilmore has spent 25 years with NASA after serving in the U.S. Navy.

Wilmore gained national attention during the Space X mission, which was originally estimated for one-to-two weeks last summer. But technical problems with the spacecraft resulted in the extended space stay for Wilmore and crew member Sunita Williams.

Wilmore was recognized in July as the 2025 Tennessean of the Year, presented by the Tennessee Lottery.

The astronaut has lived in Texas to be close to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, but

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