There are career changes, and then there is Christina Birch. After leaving academia to become an elite track cyclist and winning 11 US national titles, the 39-year-old is now preparing for a rather different assignment after being named as the pilot of NASA's SpaceX Crew-14 mission to the International Space Station.
NASA confirmed the four-person crew last week, with Birch set to make her first journey into space when Crew-14 launches no earlier than spring 2027. Kayla Barron will command the mission, while Birch will serve as pilot alongside Japanese astronaut Makoto Suwa and Russian cosmonaut Arutyun Kiviryan.
Once docked at the International Space Station, Crew-14 will become part of Expeditions 75 and 76 and undertake a long-duration programme of scientific research and technology development, including work intended to support future missions to the Moon and Mars.
From MIT to the US track team
Long before she reached the US national cycling programme, Birch had already built an impressive scientific career. She studied mathematics and biochemistry and molecular biophysics at the University of Arizona before completing a doctorate in biological engineering at MIT.
She subsequently taught bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside and scientific writing and communication at Caltech. In 2018, however, Birch left academia behind to pursue elite track cycling full-time, moving to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs as she attempted to earn a place at the Tokyo Games.
Birch became an 11-time US national champion, collected three World Cup medals across the team pursuit and Madison and twice competed at the Track World Championships. She also won Pan American Games gold medals in both the team pursuit and Madison.
Her Olympic ambitions ultimately stopped just short of the Games themselves. Birch was named to the United States' long team for Tokyo 2020 but did not make the final squad that competed in Japan.
NASA's astronaut selection process was already opening another door. More than 12,000 people applied for the agency's 2021 astronaut candidate class, with Birch among just 10 ultimately selected.
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Cycling gives way to astronaut training
Birch reported for duty in January 2022 and spent the following two years learning the skills required of a NASA astronaut, including International Space Station systems, robotics, survival training, T-38 jet operations and preparation for spacewalks.
Even after moving away from professional cycling, Birch has continued to draw on lessons from the sport. Speaking on a NASA podcast in 2025, she described one rule she had developed during long rides.
"If it's good, it's going to get worse. If it's bad, it's going to get better," she said, describing the mentality of accepting difficult periods and continuing towards the next one rather than becoming consumed by a single moment.
Cycling has remained part of her life in other ways too. Birch is married to former American track cyclist Ashton Lambie, the 2021 individual pursuit world champion and former world record holder.
The couple even have a particularly fitting anniversary attached to Birch's NASA journey. Birch has previously recalled receiving the call confirming her astronaut selection while Lambie was competing at the Track World Championships in Roubaix. She contacted him between his rides on the same day he went on to become world champion, an occasion they later nicknamed their "NASA Rainbows Day".
A first journey into space
Since completing astronaut training, Birch has worked inside NASA's human spaceflight programme rather than simply waiting for a mission assignment. Her roles have included serving as a capsule communicator supporting crews aboard the International Space Station, working as crew lead for Expedition 72 and contributing to NASA's Orion programme and Artemis operations.
Crew-14 will now put her inside the spacecraft herself.
As pilot, Birch will be part of the team operating SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft through the mission's launch, rendezvous, docking and return phases. Once aboard the International Space Station, she will begin her first long-duration mission in orbit as part of Expeditions 75 and 76.
It is a first spaceflight that comes less than a decade after Birch left Caltech to commit herself fully to elite track cycling, and six years after NASA picked her from more than 12,000 applicants for its astronaut programme.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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