Frank Rubio is an American astronaut and a member of NASA’s 2017 astronaut class.
He was born on August 18, 1975, in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Miami, Florida.
Rubio is a colonel in the United States Army and has served in various roles, including as a combat surgeon and a flight surgeon.
He was selected by NASA in 2017 as one of 12 astronaut candidates from a pool of over 18,000 applicants.
Rubio completed his astronaut candidate training in January 2020 and is now eligible for spaceflight assignments.
His spaceflight experience includes serving as a mission specialist during the NEEMO 22 (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) mission in 2017, where he and his crewmates lived and worked underwater for 10 days to simulate space exploration.
Rubio is also a recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Combat Medical Badge.
Frank Rubio early life and education
Rubio grew up in Miami, Florida, where he attended Miami Sunset Senior High School.
After graduating from high school, he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations in 1998.
Rubio then went on to complete his medical degree at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2005.
He completed his residency in internal medicine at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, and then completed a fellowship in aerospace medicine at the Aerospace Medicine Primary Course in 2010.
Rubio also completed a Master of Public Health degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston in 2013.
Throughout his education and training, he demonstrated a strong commitment to serving his country and pursuing his passion for space exploration.
His diverse background in medicine, public health, and military service has prepared him well for his role as a NASA astronaut.
Frank Rubio wife
Rubio is married to Deborah Rubio, although much is not known about her.
Frank Rubio military career
Rubio’s military career began in 1998 when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army after graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
During his career, he has served in a variety of roles and locations around the world.
He has been deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait, and has also served in South Korea and Germany.
Additionally, Rubio has held a number of leadership positions, including platoon leader, company commander and battalion operations officer.
One of his most notable achievements was his selection as a NASA astronaut in 2017.
He was one of twelve candidates chosen from a pool of over 18,000 applicants, and completed two years of intensive training before being assigned to a mission.
Rubio is currently scheduled to fly to the International Space Station in 2023 as part of the SpaceX Crew-6 mission.
Throughout his military career, he has received numerous awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal.
Rubio has also been awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Parachutist Badge.
From army-man to astronaut
Rubio’s shift from military to becoming an astronaut is a fascinating story of dedication, hard work and perseverance.
After graduating from the United States Military Academy, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
Rubio also completed multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he earned the Bronze Star Medal for his service.
Despite his successful military career, Rubio had always dreamed of becoming an astronaut.
In 2011, he applied to NASA’s astronaut program and was selected as one of eight members of the 21st NASA astronaut class.
Rubio’s military experience and leadership skills were a significant factor in his selection, as NASA values individuals with a strong background in teamwork, problem-solving and decision-making.
He completed two years of intensive training, including spacewalk training, robotics training and Russian language classes, before being assigned to his first mission.
In 2021, he was selected to serve as a mission specialist on the SpaceX Crew-3 mission, which is scheduled to launch in November 2021.
Rubio’s shift from military to becoming an astronaut is a testament to his dedication, hard work and willingness to pursue his dreams.
His military experience has undoubtedly prepared him well for the challenges of spaceflight, and his selection as an astronaut is a testament to the value that NASA places on individuals with a strong background in leadership and teamwork.
Frank Rubio’s return from space
Rubio who is the first American astronaut to live in space continuously for more than a year, has returned to Earth after spending 371 consecutive days on the International Space Station (ISS).
His return was the end of a long and unexpected journey, as he had been slated to spend only six months aboard the ISS.
However, a coolant leak coming from his original ride while docked to the orbiting outpost extended his stay in space.
Rubio’s stay set a new record for the longest a US astronaut has ever spent in microgravity.
During his mission, he completed approximately 5,936 orbits of Earth, which equates to around 157 million miles (253 million kilometers), or roughly 328 trips to the moon and back.
He also carried out three spacewalks totaling around 21 hours and had 28 different crewmates on the ISS.
Rubio conducted a variety of scientific experiments during his time in space, including testing how bacteria behave in microgravity.
He also made invaluable scientific contributions, according to Bill Nelson, the administrator of NASA.
Rubio’s mission provided researchers the opportunity to observe the effects that long spaceflight has on humans as the agency plans to return to the Moon with the Artemis missions and to explore Mars.
He spent hours conducting research on a variety of topics from plants to physical sciences studies.
His favorite experiments were carried out on a tomato plant.
Rubio’s prolonged stay in space will have taken a toll on his body, so he had to be lifted out of the capsule by the recovery teams.
Spending so much time in the low gravity environment of the ISS can cause muscle degeneration, bone loss, reduced eyesight, impaired balance and can even affect the immune system.
It will be particularly interesting to see how well Rubio adjusts to life back on Earth.
