Dr. Paul Dale and Astronaut Rick Linnehan
NASA Astronaut Rick Linnehan visited Paradise Valley Community College on Feb. 27, 2013 as part of NASA’s Destination Station: Space station science and research awareness campaign. Linnehan spoke to students about his work at NASA on the International Space Station, answered questions about the space program and signed autographs for many enthusiastic students.
Linnehan also presented PVCC President Dr.Paul Dale with a photograph of Phoenix taken from space.
The NASA Destination Station campaign educates the community about:
- Science experiments performed aboard the International Space Station (such as cancer research, salmonella vaccine research, and bone research.)
- The benefits of ISS science research to humanity.
- The requirements for obtaining an opportunity to conduct research in microgravity.
After graduating from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in June 1985, Dr. Linnehan entered private veterinary practice and was later accepted to a 2-year joint internship in zoo animal medicine and comparative pathology at the Baltimore Zoo and The Johns Hopkins University. After completing his internship, Dr. Linnehan was commissioned as a Captain in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps and reported for duty in early 1989 at the Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego, California, as chief clinical veterinarian for the U.S. Navy’s Marine Mammal Program. In 1992 he was selected by NASA and reported to the Johnson Space Center where he completed one year of Astronaut Candidate training qualifying him for Space Shuttle flight assignments as a Mission Specialist. A veteran of four space flights, Dr. Linnehan has logged over 58 days in space, including 6 Extra Vehicular Activities (EVAs or “spacewalks”) totaling 42 hours and 11 minutes.
More information about International Space Station science and research go to www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news.html.