African American Astronaut Candidate Dr. Satcher Next Generation of Space Explorers Begins Training Later This Summer

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Dr. Satcher, who is African American, was an undergrad at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology when he heard the black astronaut Ron McNair, also an MIT alum, speak. When McNair later died in the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, Satcher decided to honor his legacy and formally apply to the astronaut program. "It really made me think about what being an astronaut means," Dr. Satcher says. "I thought I can do this. I should do this."

"There's some scientist in me. There's some explorer in me," says Dr. Satcher. "There's a humanitarian in me also. Space is the one venue that has the highest potential for benefiting people if we continue to be serious about exploring it. I have always had an interest in service and in science," he adds. "I am interested in exploration, too. Becoming an astronaut lets me do all three."

"Dr. Satcher has received several prestigious career developmental awards including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for minority faculty development. He has served as a positive role model for our medical students and residents," says Michael Schafer, M.D., Chairman, of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Northwestern Memorial and Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. "Northwestern's loss is definitely NASA and the country's gain. We are proud to have counted him as a valued member of our team. Personally I wish him well and will miss his quiet wit."

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African American Astronaut Candidate Dr. Satcher Next Generation of Space Explorers Begins Training Later This Summer

NASA has announced that Robert L. Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., an orthopaedic surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and researcher at Northwestern University, is part of the next generation of space explorers as he joins the newest class of astronaut candi...

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