Kelly Latimer is a former combat veteran and retired United States Air Force lieutenant colonel. She was the first ever female research pilot to join the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. She works with Virgin Galactic and is due to be the pilot for their first rocket launch in 2020. Latimer flew the T-38, T-34, , C-17, 747 Shuttle Carrier aircraft and the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy 747SP.