On television, Josh Dobbs may just be the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback. But during his off-season, Dobbs is a rocket scientist.
Dobbs spent his off-season working at NASA during an externship, as it prepares to make history by sending two astronauts into orbit, and he spoke about his time there during an interview on The Weather Channel Friday morning.
He worked on a different project for his externship, other than the launch on Saturday. Dobbs said he worked on the mobile launcher that supports the Artemis spacecraft, which is expected to eventually take astronauts to Mars.
The Saturday launch will send the Falcon 9 rocket up into the atmosphere, with the crew riding on the Crew Dragon capsule at the top. It will be the first time in history a private company, SpaceX, sends humans into orbit with NASA working alongside them.
The launch was originally planned for Wednesday, but weather concerns caused it to be delayed. Now, it's planned for Saturday at 3:22 p.m.
Dobbs graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2017 with a degree in Aerospace Engineering, after playing for the Vols as a quarterback. He said that he chose to study Aerospace Engineering because it combined his interests in aviation and his skills with mathematics.
"If doing engineering and sports is what you're interested in, it is possible," Dobbs said during the interview. "Hopefully I'm a living testament of that. Of course it's difficult, of course it's strenuous, of course it's not the common path. If those are your passions, and you have enough dedication, passion and focus — then go for it."