Hispanic On The Way To Being NASA Astronomy

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Salvadoran American Francisco “Frank” Rubio has lived several lives in one.

He first studied medicine but decided to take a hiatus to enlist in the US Army where Blackhawk helicopters flew on missions in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Iraq. Eight years later, the soldier who was born in Los Angeles returned to his first love and, already with his medical degree under his arm, he practiced as a GP in the Army.

There a seed planted in his youth germinated with this idea: Why not apply to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), to become part of the astronaut class of 2017?

Out of more than 18,000 candidates with the same idea, Rubio was one of 12 selected this summer and for the next two years he will learn to fly planes and study Russian, among a thousand things, with a view to participating in NASA's missions to Mars. Where else in the world would you listen to a story like mine? I am the son of a single mom, a teenage mother from El Salvador who worked in all kinds of low-paid occupations,”says Rubio, 41, married and the father of four children, ages 7 to 13. “My story is a great story about America. What are the chances that a boy like me would end up where I am today?”

And he adds: "Every boy dreams of being an astronaut."

With studies, effort and dedication, nothing is impossible for Rubio, whose history is highlighted in the print edition of PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOL for sale now. Nor will it be impossible for Rubio to inspire others like him, Vice President Mike Pence said in Houston, TX, in July at the ceremony to introduce him and his fellow classmates of 2017. “They are 12 men and women whose excellence and personal courage They will lead our nation to greater discoveries, "he said," and will inspire our children and grandchildren."