New NASA Astronaut: Erin Overcash
Bio
Erin Overcash, born in Louisville, Kentucky, considers Goshen, Kentucky, her hometown, where her parents still reside. She enjoys reading, adventure motorcycling, challenging workouts, and spending time with friends and family. She is married to another naval aviator.
Overcash graduated from North Oldham High School in Goshen and earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 2014. She completed a master’s degree in bioastronautics with a certificate in engineering entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado in 2017.
She attended U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, graduating with Class 162 in 2023.
Background
A lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, Overcash is an experienced F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet pilot with multiple deployments, logging over 1,300 flight hours in 20 aircraft, including 249 carrier arrested landings.
Early in her career, she was in the U.S. Navy’s World Class Athlete Program, training with the USA Rugby Women’s National Team. She earned her wings in January 2018 and qualified in the Super Hornet at Naval Air Station Lemoore. From 2019 to 2022, she was an operational pilot with Strike Fighter Squadron 102 in Japan, deploying in the Pacific and Middle East. From 2023 to 2025, she served as a test pilot for F/A-18 and EA-18G Growler, including as a Service Chief Fellow at DARPA. At selection, she was training for an F/A-18E department head tour.
