@alex.suh: Doctor/Astronaut selected for NASA Artemis III Mission Everyone knows about the pilots and engineers, but not many people realize that Frank Rubio, who recently selected for the Artemis III crew, is also a medical doctor. Even cooler? Before becoming an astronaut, he served as a flight surgeon. Despite the name, a flight surgeon isn't typically performing operations in the OR. The title is a historic one, referring to physicians who specialize in aviation and aerospace medicine, caring for pilots, aircrew, and now even astronauts. Rubio earned his MD from the Uniformed Services University in 2010 and completed a Family Medicine residency at Martin Army Community Hospital in 2013. Through the military pathway, he then completed the Flight Surgeon Primary Course, allowing him to care for military aviators and eventually support human spaceflight operations. For civilians interested in aerospace medicine, there are only a handful of formal training pathways. The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and the Mayo Clinic offer accredited Aerospace Medicine residencies, while institutions like UCLA and the University of Arizona–Phoenix have additional non-accredited programs and fellowships focused on space and aviation medicine. As someone fascinated by both medicine and spaceflight, I think it's incredibly inspiring to see a physician helping lead humanity's return to the Moon. And something tells me he won't be the last doctor selected for an Artemis mission... #artemis #nasa #flightsurgeon #aerospace #medicine

alex.suh

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Saturday 13 June 2026 02:41:50 GMT