Astronaut Tom Marshburn ’82 to Pilot SpaceX Mission to International Space Station – Davidson News

Marshburn, a medical doctor, is not the first but among a select few non-military pilots in the astronaut history books. He earned the title, though, years ago. He holds private, instrument, aerobatic and commercial pilots licenses, not to mention a masters degree in engineering.

Like most astronauts, Marshburn hoped for another mission but wouldnt know until it was assigned. He served as part of the backup crew for two Soyuz flights out of Kazakhstan in 2019, ready to step in if a member of the prime crew couldnt make the flight.

He took one of those backup crew jobs knowing it was almost certain he would not fly and no way of knowing if it helped his chances at a future flight. NASAs astronaut office needed a space flight veteran, and Marshburn, with Russian language skills, could jump in easily.

His seatmates on the coming flight include Chari, an Air Force Colonel and test pilot, and Matthias Maurer, a European Space Agency astronaut from Germany, both making their first spaceflight. A fourth member will be named later.

The new Dragon ship, with its clean look inside and out and its touchscreen controls, brings a new level of excitement to the venture, Marshburn said.

But like the exceeding care in taking the first spin in a new car, it also brings, he said, an added level of, lets say, monitoring.

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Astronaut Tom Marshburn '82 to Pilot SpaceX Mission to International Space Station - Davidson News