Mt. Juliet hometown hero: Astronaut Barry Wilmore on faith and 'leaving the planet,' again

Astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore tries to describe the burst of orange from a sunset or sunrise that hits the International Space Station for a few seconds.

“Literally leaving the planet” is on many an extreme human shortlist. That is not at all lost on Wilmore, a Mt. Juliet High School and Tennessee Tech graduate.

Wilmore already is a veteran of two spaceflights and 178 days in space, and there is amazement in his voice as he tries to describe the visual sunlight being broken down into prism-like colors that evolve into a predominant orange.

“The magnitude of the creator of all of it,” Wilmore said about what stands out most about this experience of space travel. “To view the heavens and this planet the Lord designed to support life is just absolutely amazing. It’s hard to put into words actually.”

Wilmore, who connects his first-hand view of the universe's “orbital mechanics” to his self-described “biblical world view,” is about to go on his third launch into space as commander of NASA’s Boeing Starliner to travel to the International Space Station. NASA's launch time for Wilmore and fellow astronaut Suni Williams is scheduled for 9:34 p.m., Monday at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at deadline for this story.

The trip will be the first crewed flight made by the Starliner. The flight test will help NASA determine whether the Starliner system is ready to fly regular crew rotation missions to space station.

Tennessee will be watching

Mt. Juliet High School recognizes Wilmore as a distinguished alum with large photos and captions in the commons entrance area. Principal Ryan Hill also makes it a point to emphasize Wilmore’s accomplishments to new students or groups he speaks to "that shows kids you can do pretty much whatever you want."

"He's definitely an inspiration," said Mt. Juliet High junior and STEM student Riley Rooker, who is looking at aerospace engineering as a potential career. "I'll watch how he's doing; I'll especially watch the launch. It's an especially big moment for Mt. Juliet as a whole, as well as the United States, too."

Wilmore played football at Mt. Juliet High, where he graduated in 1981 before going on to Tennessee Tech University, where he was a team captain.

“Mt. Juliet Hometown Hero” is printed on a utility box cover with the astronaut’s picture in town. Mt. Juliet Middle School’s football field — where Mt. Juliet High played its games when Wilmore attended — is named for the astronaut. Wilmore also wrestled and played baseball, according to the school's yearbook.

“It means a lot to my family,” said Wilmore’s father, Eugene Wilmore, about the city and school's pride for his son.

Wilmore on Earth

Eugene Wilmore lived 44 years in Mt. Juliet and now resides in Hermitage. Barry Wilmore grew up in the Una Antioch area before moving with his family to Mt. Juliet in the third grade. He attended the former Lakeview Baptist Church.

“When he was in space last time, my wife was alive and we carried on the best we could," Eugene Wilmore said. “He was able to communicate with us and (we) actually had live chats with him. We never really got nervous when he was preparing and actually going into space. Many, many people prayed for him, and prayers do make a difference.”

Barry Wilmore graduated from Tennessee Tech with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1985, a master’s degree in electrical engineering in 1994 and was inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

He participated in a live-chat from space with Tech students during a previous mission and ”continues to leave an indelible mark on this campus,” Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham said.

Wilmore and wife Deanna have two daughters. They live outside of Houston. He is a lay elder at Providence Baptist Church in Pasadena, Texas, where he has taught children, been involved in a prison ministry, done building projects and has gone on mission trips outside the country.

"When I first met him," staff elder Tommy Dahn said, "I asked him what he did for a living, and he said 'I work at NASA.' Nothing is below him. He never stops. And his mind is so organized."

Wilmore is still very much a Tennessean and plans to bring memorabilia like a Predators jersey and hat, a Tennessee Tech football and baseball jersey, a Tennessee state flag and other local items onboard the Starliner.

Wilmore, Williams and a 'true test assignment'

The Starliner launch with a human crew has encountered delays because of technical complications. The spacecraft has made trips to the International Space Station without astronauts.

The flight and stay is estimated for one to two weeks.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program contracted with Boeing to have a spacecraft system able to travel to the ISS, in part to have a second option if one isn’t operational.

SpaceX is also under contract with the Commercial Crew Program and has performed crew rotation missions to the space station since 2019 with its Dragon capsule.

The goal when both spacecraft are certified is to rotate them regularly on space station missions as a cost-effective transportation mode that will also enhance research, according to NASA Commercial Crew Program spokesperson Steven Siceloff.

The Starliner has a “great amount of automation,” Williams said, and has "robust" backup modes that include the ability for the crew to operate it manually if necessary.

“A lot of delays are things you want to find,” Wilmore says about the long awaited launch. “And along the way we have cleared up so many potential pitfalls.

“I didn't plan to be here at this point. But here we are. It's a great opportunity for our nation. I don't think about it personally to be honest with you, but my part is to benefit our nation and the goals our nation has. That is truly what drives me."

Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee native, astronaut Barry Wilmore on upcoming NASA launch