Purdue University alumnus and entrepreneur Marc Hagle has been officially designated a “Private Specialist Astronaut,” entering him in a new category in Purdue’s Cradle of Astronauts. 

The Private Specialist Astronaut designation recognizes Boilermakers who perform research or educational outreach on a mission above 80 kilometers in altitude, while acting as a private individual or as an employee of an organization that is not the flight operator. The title was created by Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AAE) in Spring 2025. 

“Increasing activity in commercial space meant our previous categories didn’t cover the many ways that people can contribute to human spaceflight,” said Bill Crossley, the Uhrig & Vournas Head of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue. “Our faculty reviewed the guidelines this spring and added a new category to address that.” 

Purdue’s other astronaut designations include NASA Astronaut and Commercial Astronaut, which are reserved for trained crew members and are eligible for inclusion in the Cradle of Astronauts. A separate Purdue Spacefarer category, for individuals who buy a ticket to space, is not eligible for the Cradle of Astronauts. (The FAA no longer designates anyone as an “astronaut,” and instead names individuals to a “Human Spaceflight Recognition” list.) 

With Purdue’s new category in place, a faculty committee from Purdue AAE was convened to review Marc Hagle’s work aboard Blue Origin’s NS-28 suborbital flight in November 2024 – his second suborbital flight aboard a Blue Origin rocket, both alongside his wife, Sharon. The committee determined that his work qualified, and the title could be applied retroactively. 

“We take this process seriously,” Crossley adds. “A committee of four faculty reviewed his activity on the New Shepard flight, and we reached out to appropriate experts in the field. We agreed that his contributions to the BioButton was meaningful to advancing human activity in space.” 

“Based on that, we consider Marc Hagle an astronaut in the Purdue Cradle of Astronauts.” 

For more information about Purdue’s Cradle of Astronauts, visit https://www.purdue.edu/space/

Information about the BioButton, sponsored by the Translational Research Institute for Space Health, is available here: https://www.bcm.edu/news/trish-to-conduct-space-health-research-on-new-shepard-space-missions