Musgrave has landed in Wapakoneta
Story Musgrave, a physician and retired astronaut visited Wapakoneta on Nov. 10, 2022 to speak at the Wapakoneta Middle School.
Musgrave shared his background as well as some life advice to a crowded auditorium of space fans, explaining and demonstrating how grew from being a ‘farm kid’ to becoming a surgeon, and later a ‘rocket man’ and beyond.
He talked about exploring the possibilities of life and thinking of life as being full of opportunities, playing fields, and accepting challenges. To succeed in life, he advised listeners to “give it your all, figure it out, get up to speed, get it done, and learn from it.” He also stated, “If life isn’t fun, turn it in and get a new one.”
Growing up on a farm in 1942, he recalled tying knots on hay bales when the machinery would fail to do so. This led Musgrave into heavy construction mechanics and he slowly advanced to even heavier equipment.
At age 17, he joined the Marine Corps as an engine mechanic, during which time he was stationed in Korea. He became the Marine Corps’ youngest crew chief in history.
Once stateside, he enrolled at Syracuse University even, without completing his high school education, based on his experience as Marine. Musgrave counselled the audience, “Don’t take no for an answer in life.” Throughout his undergraduate education, he continued to drive tanks and work as a tank
After Syracuse, Musgrave attended UCLA where he began to study computer science and this spurred an interest in how the human brain works.
His next college was UCLA, where he began working with computers and this caused him to be interested in how the brain works. This was followed by a period at Marietta College in eastern Ohio where he began his pre-med studies, followed by attendance at Columbia Medical School where he earned his M.D. By the time he earned his medical degree, he and his wife had four children. Eventually, he went on to earn an M.S. in physiology and biophysics at the University of Kentucky and an M.A. at the University of Houston – Clear Lake. Musgrave is cited as being the astronaut with the most academic degrees.
Out of 6000 applicants, he was one of six who made it to space, all while assisting with trauma surgeries for over 28 years. His first flight to space was in 1983 aboard the Challenger. He was the lead communicator for 25 missions and he worked on the Hubble telescope.
Today, he has seven children and enjoys raising palm trees.
Musgrave ended his speech by advising onlookers: “Just do the best you can. Take every opportunity you can just because they are there.”