A Miami Sunset alum graduates from elite NASA moon program
As a student at Miami Sunset Senior High, Frank Rubio never could have dreamed that his love for math and science could one day take him to the moon — or maybe even Mars.
But now the once farfetched idea is within his reach.
On Friday, Dr. Francisco “Frank” Rubio, 44, and 10 other men and women from across the country became astronauts. (Two Canadians also graduated and they will join their country’s astronaut program.)
The 11 U.S. graduates were part of the first class of NASA’s Artemis program, aimed at sending the first woman and next man to the moon by 2024.
“The ability to go to space is amazing,” said Rubio, who graduated
Friday at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. “It’s something that seems out of reach as a child.”
Rubio and his classmates, who began training in August 2017, received their pins Friday. They are now eligible for a mission assignment, which can mean going to the International Space Station, or one day, the moon.
“This is a big day for the Johnson Space Center, a big day for NASA, for Houston and for the nation,” said Mark Geyer, director of the Johnson Space Center, on a livestream video. “Two years ago this group of new astronauts arrived here at Johnson for the very first time and they already came in with very impressive resumes, but now they have become part of an elite group. An elite group of people qualified for space flight and ready to train for the exciting missions ahead.”
A fellow candidate described Rubio as “one of the most genuinely humble, reliable and honest people that you’ll ever meet,” as the new astronaut, donning his blue flight suit, received the pin.
Rubio, who was born in Los Angeles, moved to Miami just before he started at Miami Sunset High. As a kid he wanted to be a doctor. He said he credits his physics and AP biology teachers for fostering his love for science.
After graduating from Sunset in 1994, he attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating from there in 1998.
Rubio went on to get a doctorate of medicine from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, a governmentrun university in Bethesda, Maryland. The university trains physicians in military and public health leadership positions. He completed his family medicine residency at Martin Army Community Hospital in Fort Benning, Georgia.
A friend told him to apply for the Artemis program in 2017. He was selected out of 18,000 applicants, NASA’s largest pool of applicants in its history. Rubio was a battalion surgeon for the 3rd Battalion of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in the U.S. Army before NASA selected him to the program.
Rubio lives in Houston with his wife and four children, ages 15, 14, 11 and 9.
Throughout the two-year training, the candidates experienced simulated spacewalks, trained on systems used on the International Space Station and flew T-38 jets. They also learned about teamwork and the responsibility of being an astronaut.
“They represent the first wave of NASA’s Artemis generation astronauts,” Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator, said during the ceremony. “Artemis is a bold new vision in space exploration uniting the international community.
In addition to expeditions on the International Space Station, these astronauts could, in fact, one day walk on the moon as part of the Artemis program. Perhaps one of them could be among the first to walk on Mars.”
Rubio said he can’t wait for his first assignment.
“I am humbled, honored to have been part of the first class,” he said.
Carli Teproff: 305-376-3587, @cteproff