Nothing makes the planet seem smaller, or more worth saving, than seeing it from space.
NASA astronaut and Colorado State University alumnus Dr. Kjell Lindgren, alongside crewmate Jessica “Watty” Watkins, will visit campus on April 12 to share their experiences and insights from a six-month mission to the International Space Station that wrapped up in late 2022. Their visit is hosted by the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Lindgren and Watkins will deliver a public keynote and Q&A at the Translational Medicine Institute, 6-7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Their presentation is titled “One Health, One Planet: NASA Astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Jessica Watkins share their view from space.”
Throughout the day, the astronauts will visit with faculty and students in smaller groups and tour parts of campus.
Lindgren, who received a master’s degree in cardiovascular physiology from CSU in 1996 and also has a Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Colorado, was mission commander of NASA’s Commercial Crew-4. The mission launched to the International Space Station April 27, 2022 aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft Freedom.
One-fourth of the crew was Watkins, of Lafayette, Colorado, who was the first Black woman to serve on an International Space Station long-term mission. It was Watkins’ first spaceflight, and Lindgren’s second; he served as a flight engineer on NASA Expedition 44/45 in 2015. Rounding out the Crew-4 mission were pilot Bob Hines and mission specialist Samantha Cristoforetti. They all returned to Earth Oct. 14, 2022, after spending 170 days in space.
During their mission, the astronauts contributed to a host of science and maintenance activities as well as technology demonstrations. Their investigations included how to grow vegetables in space, whether living in microgravity affects hearing, and if material found in lunar and Martian dust could serve as building tools one day.
