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photo of Jerry Linenger

Jerry Linenger, Astronaut and American Hero

Faith, Fortitude and Fire: An Astronaut's Tale of Triumph in the Heavens

Monday, April 8, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. in the Benson Auditorium

 

 

Biography

Captain Jerry Linenger is a retired United States Navy flight surgeon and NASA astronaut. A Naval Academy graduate, he holds doctorates in medicine and research methodology as well as dual master's degrees in policy and systems management. During one of the most dangerous and dramatic missions in space history, Linenger spent nearly five months aboard the Russian space station Mir. Despite numerous life-threatening events, he and his Russian crewmates accomplished all mission goals. He was the first American to undock from a space station in a Russian Soyuz capsule and the first American to complete a spacewalk in a Russian spacesuit. At mission completion, he held the endurance record for the longest time in space for an American man. In 2008, Linenger received the Distinguished Service Medal, NASA's highest award, for his courage and outstanding service to his country. He is the author of "Off the Planet" and "Letters from Mir: An Astronaut's Letters to His Son."