![Space X Commander Is A University of Illinois Grad](http://townsquare.media/site/671/files/2020/11/gettyimages-1010312268-594x594.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Space X Commander Is A University of Illinois Grad
Crew commander Mike Hopkins, 51, is an Air Force colonel and former space station resident who grew up on a hog and cattle farm in Missouri. He played football for the University of Illinois and, before becoming an astronaut in 2009, worked at the Pentagon.