Before they ever left Earth, all of NASA’s Artemis II astronauts trained with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) — and for some, that preparation included long days navigating Wyoming’s backcountry.

That NOLS training was singled out by Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman Thursday during the crew’s first group interview from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, after returning to Earth on April 10 from it’s 10-day mission to the moon and back.

He reflected on decision-making under pressure and how lessons learned through NOLS resurfaced during moments of stress and distraction.

“There’s a saying that we learned from one of our National Outdoor Leadership School instructors: integrity is not a one or a zero,” Wiseman said. “You can be in integrity, and you can be out of integrity — and I’ll be the first to admit that there were moments when I was out of integrity because sometimes the view or the human experience would just pull me away from the work.”

The partnership reflects a longstanding relationship between NOLS and NASA, the United States’ civilian space agency, and the Lander-based outdoor education organization.

Since 1999, NASA has worked with a variety of organizations and contracted NOLS for more than 45 wilderness expeditions designed to help astronauts prepare for the realities of long-duration spaceflight.

Those expeditions place crews in remote, resource-limited environments where communication, leadership and teamwork become essential for safety — conditions that mirror life inside a spacecraft.

In 2023, Cowboy State Daily chronicled the Artemis II astronauts training in the Cowboy State. At the time, the connection between Wyoming’s wind-carved wilderness and the engineered isolation of deep space felt philosophical.

Now, after completing their mission, the astronauts say the lessons they learned in Wyoming followed them all the way to lunar orbit.

From Wyoming Backcountry To The Moon

For NOLS instructors, the connection between wilderness leadership and spaceflight comes down to a single idea, what the school calls “expedition behavior.”

Rick Rochelle, senior faculty and leadership coach at NOLS, told Cowboy State Daily on Friday that the concept explains why NASA continues to partner with the organization decades after the relationship began.

“There’s a phrase that NOLS calls ‘expedition behavior,’ and that is clearly the most important part of why NASA works with us and how it translates,” Rochelle said.

The term was coined by NOLS founder Paul Petzoldt, a mountaineer who set an altitude record on K2 in 1938, served in the 10th Mountain Division during World War II and later built the school around the idea that leadership is defined by responsibility to others.

“He said it’s an awareness of others’ needs and the character to make those needs as important as your own,” Rochelle said. “It’s really about how to be a great team member.”

Lynn Petzold, also senior faculty at NOLS, said astronauts who train with the school are placed in situations where leadership theory becomes practical experience — where decisions must be made under stress, and reflection becomes part of daily operations.

“NOLS provides experience for astronauts to go through leadership theory, work under stress, and reflect and debrief — extracting the learnings from the day and implementing them moving forward,” Petzold said. “That’s how you continue to grow and become a better team.”

The wilderness setting itself plays a critical role.

Long stretches in remote terrain force participants to manage fatigue, communicate clearly and make decisions without outside support. These are conditions that closely resemble life inside a spacecraft.

“This ties to the previous question, which is being in an austere environment for long periods away from distractions,” Rochelle said.

Why Wyoming Keeps Showing Up In Spaceflight

The connection between Wyoming and human spaceflight has grown steadily over the past quarter century, turning Lander into an unlikely but consistent training ground for astronauts preparing to leave Earth.

In the Wyoming backcountry, that might mean navigating a sudden weather shift or managing exhaustion miles from the nearest road.

In space, the same principles scale to orbital mechanics, life-support systems, and the psychological weight of isolation.

For instructors who have watched astronauts move through Wyoming’s mountains and deserts, the pride in the Artemis II mission is personal, Rochelle said.

“These are amazing human beings,” he said. “They love each other. They’re mission-focused, and they clearly want to have a positive impact on all of humanity.”

Petzold agreed.

“These are awesome human beings who were excited to be part of this mission,” she said. “They had a lot to contribute as individuals, and as a group they really brought it together. 

“NOLS is just really excited and proud to work with NASA and this crew to pave a new path forward as we return to the moon. We’re proud to have been a small part of it.”

The same training that teaches students to read about weather, manage fatigue and support teammates in the Wind River backcountry is now helping shape how astronauts operate in deep space.

Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.

CASPER, Wyo. –– The small, brown and humble building just east of the Casper/Natrona County International Airport was never intended to survive its nearly 85 years.

“These bases were put together as cheaply as possible,” said Wyoming Veterans Commission Cultural Resources Manager John Woodward. “They started construction in May of 1942, and they were finished by September. It was very quick, very cheap.”

Some 400 buildings sprung up on the air base that year, which during the war was used to train between 16,000 and 18,000 enlistees to fly B-17 and B-24 planes in overseas operations. Only a handful of the buildings survived past the war, including the former serviceman’s club, which features an irreplaceable mural painted by a number of enlistees at the time that surrounds the entire main hall.

It was used for storage after the war, but was revived in 1998 to become the Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum. With limited funds, the original goal was to simply make the building useable. “I think either in 1999 or 2000, they received about $200,000 in optional 1 cent funds from Natrona County,” said Woodward, “and that helped replace windows, some doors and some upgrades to the building’s electrical system, but not much beyond that.”

Woodward has been tasked with making sure the building can last at least another eight decades. Originally built as a serviceman’s club on the Casper Army Air Base during WWII, it now helps to tell and preserve the stories of thousands of Wyoming veterans from all military branches who served since the Mexican-American War up to today.

An image shows the interior of the serviceman’s club at the Casper Air Base in the early 1940s. It is now the Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum. (Courtesy Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum)

Now, the little building that was likely intended to stand for just several years is receiving a $2 million top to bottom restoration. The museum closed last September, and will reopen on May 16, with a grand opening celebration starting at 2 p.m.

“The things that really drove the project from the beginning were safety and security, making sure that the building was accessible to people who had mobility issues,” he said. Modern, fully-accessible bathrooms have been built along with full access to the building inside and out.

Historic murals painted by service members during WWII are seen partially covered during an extensive restoration of the Wyoming Veteran’s Memorial Museum. (Dan Cepeda, Oil City News)

In addition, plumbing and electrical systems have been completely updated along with the roof and insulation, and a modern HVAC system will be installed for the first time. “This building was originally steam heated,” said Woodward. That was replaced with industrial natural gas units that hung from the ceilings. “They fulfilled their role, but they were loud and made it very difficult in some cases for me to even communicate with my staff in the winter.

It’ll be comfortable for visitors and staff, and it’s going to aid in the preservation of the historical items here at the museum so they won’t be at the mercy of the elements.”

(Dan Cepeda, Oil City News)

Exterior work will include new siding for the first time ever, and a fully-paved modern parking lot that will replace the cobbled-together dirt parking areas of the past.

Dick Anderson Construction Superintendent Bill Street has been in charge of the work. “There was no insulation in any of the exterior walls,” he said. “As far as the ceiling goes, it was just fiberboard up there, so we had to remove all of the ceiling and put up sheetrock.” Because of the added weight of sheetrock and other improvements, structural engineers were consulted to make sure the bones could take the extra weight. Fortunately there were no issues, said Street.

Street’s crew helped move all of the museum’s valuable content to a storage unit at the airport before getting to work on the building itself, and preserving those murals was among the main priorities.

“Protecting the murals during construction was a chore,” said Street. “We had to frame them all out and put double plastic on them because of their historical value.”

(Dan Cepeda, Oil City News)

“They did a fantastic job of making sure the murals were protected throughout the project,” added Woodward.

Woodward said that three buildings on the site had murals, but only the serviceman’s club survives. The others were the mess hall, which was demolished, and the chapel, which was moved into town and is currently part of Our Lady of Fatima on CY Ave. Its mural was painted over shortly after the war, he said.

The restoration also gave Woodward and the museum’s staff an opportunity to redesign the feel and flow of the museum’s exhibits. “We’ve been working since basically September on the exhibit – planning, researching, writing, design, pulling artifacts – so when we have the space ready we can just come in and start,” he said.

Rather than have exhibits up agains the walls, the new design will use custom-built movable walls that snake around the large hall of the building in chronological order. “Our biggest strength is the veteran’s stories in the collection, so we’re gearing our exhibits around telling those stories,” he said.

“We’re excited to share what we’ve been doing here with the public, and having them come out here and see all of the improvements that have been made,” said Woodward. “We want people to know that this is a place where you can come and learn about how veterans serve their country in uniform, but also how they continue to serve the people of Wyoming in their civilian lives.”

“It’s been a wonderful experience working with the military,” added Street.

Cultural Resources Manager with the Wyoming Veterans Commission John Woodward, left, talks with Dick Anderson Construction Superintendent Bill Street during renovations at the Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum recently. (Dan Cepeda, Oil City News)

(Dan Cepeda, Oil City News)

(Dan Cepeda, Oil City News)

(Dan Cepeda, Oil City News)

(Dan Cepeda, Oil City News)

(Dan Cepeda, Oil City News)

(Dan Cepeda, Oil City News)

An image from the air shows the Casper Air Base shortly after it was constructed in 1942. (Courtesy Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum)

Murals are seen soon after they were painted inside the former serviceman’s club at the Casper Air Base during WWII. (Courtesy Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum)

Enlisted men dine inside the serviceman’s club during WWII. (Courtesy Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum)

Enlistees enjoy a beverage at the soda fountain inside the servicemen’s club during WWII at the Casper Air Base. (Courtesy Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum)

Related