Students at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax County, Virginia had the special opportunity to hear from astronaut and alum Kjell Lindgren on Friday as he talked about his journey to becoming an astronaut.
Students at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax County, Virginia had the special opportunity to hear from astronaut and alum Kjell Lindgren on Friday as he talked about his journey to becoming an astronaut.
He graduated from high school in 1991 and was selected as a National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut in 2009.
“The fact of the matter is I shouldn’t be talking about my experience as an astronaut in front of you today,” he said.
Lindgren logged 311 days in space across two spaceflights and said his journey was challenging.
He said that science fiction books inspired him to become an astronaut, and to achieve that goal he decided to try to become a pilot.
He attended the Air Force Academy, where he studied biology and premed but remained committed to his goal of flying. After graduation, he joined the Air Force and began pilot training.
Lindgren said everything was going according to plan until he went to the flight surgeon for what he thought was a cold. The flight surgeon decided to ground him – meaning he couldn’t fly – for six months.
“And then at the end of those six months, the Air Force came back, and I had a medical evaluation board, and they said, ‘Hey, we’re not just going to let you fly, we’re actually going to kick you out. You’re out of the Air Force,'” Lindgren said. said
Despite fighting the Air Force’s decision, it was upheld and he was medically discharged.
Lindgren thanked his family for supporting him during difficult times and credits them for getting him to where he is today.
Students asked him questions about what he thinks the future holds for space travel, astronaut training and the advancement of space exploration.
“Students like you here at Robinson are the next generation of explorers, and that’s why we’re counting on you,” he said. “We’re counting on you to join us in science, technology, engineering and math.”
Like WTOP Facebook And follow WTOP on Twitter And Instagram To engage in conversation about this article and others.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2023 WTOP. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
