With his roots in La Unión, El Salvador, Dr. Frank Rubio yesterday became the first Hispanic astronaut on NASA’s mission to return to the Moon and, in the future, explore Mars with the new “Artemis” mission. His training includes robotics, space walks, jets handling and more.
“Take a minute to be proud, because becoming an astronaut is not easy,” said astronaut Jessica Meir in a message recorded from the International Space Station.
The new generation of astronauts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) graduated yesterday at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, after two years of training. Rubio, 42, was selected with 12 colleagues for the program from more than 1,800 candidates. NASA convened the Salvadoran-American in August 2017.
“We are definitely proud of you. The final destination is worth the wait,” Meir said.
“He is one of the most honest and generous people. There is something you hardly know about him but he is a friend of all animals. Frank is really a wonderful person. He is a great American and an even better human being, and he goes to be an amazing astronaut. I look forward to going with him to space one day, “said Bob Hines, another student who graduated yesterday with Rubio.
“This is an exciting time,” added Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz during the ceremony.
About Rubio, NASA published: “This is the first class to graduate under the new Artemis program, which will take the first woman and the next man to the Moon and beyond, to Mars. Among the recent graduates is Frank Rubio , a Hispanic of Salvadoran origin who could be the first Latino to reach Mars. “
Rubio was born in Los Angeles, but considers Miami to be his home. His mother lives in Intipucá, El Salvador.
He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy. He has a doctorate in medicine that he obtained from the University of Uniformed Services of Health Sciences.
He has experience as a helicopter pilot, specifically a UH-60 Blackhawk. It has more than a thousand hours of flight. 600 of these, NASA said, were in imminent danger in deployments in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq.
At the time of his selection, he was serving in the Tenth Group of Special Forces.
According to NASA, Artemis – or Artemis – is “the twin sister of Apollo and the goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology. Now, she epitomizes our path to the Moon as the name of NASA’s program to return the astronauts to the lunar surface in 2024, including the first woman and the next man. When they land, our American astronauts will step where no human has been before: the south pole of the moon. “
NASA intends to use sustainable architecture never seen before for this purpose.
This includes field exploration systems, a rocket, in addition to the Orion control module.
NASA’s plan of action to go to Mars contemplates that preparations can take up to 25 years and the Federal Government has given more funds and prominence for the missions to the Moon, now with the ultimate goal of reaching the red planet. The other graduates are Kayla Barron, Zena Cardman, Raja Chari, Matthew Dominick, Bob Hines, Warren Hoburg, Jonny Kim, Jasmin Moghbeli, Loral O’Hara, and Jessica Watkins. In addition, Joshua Kutruk and Jennifer Sidey-Gibbons of Canada.
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