{"id":301944,"date":"2026-06-09T23:47:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T23:47:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/301944\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T23:47:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T23:47:21","slug":"miami-sunset-senior-high-grad-becomes-nasa-astronaut-chosen-for-artemis-iii-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/301944\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami Sunset Senior High grad becomes NASA astronaut chosen for Artemis III mission"},"content":{"rendered":"

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 Dr. Frank Rubio<\/a>, born in Los Angeles, grew up in El Salvador and Miami-Dade County. <\/p>\n

Leer en espa\u00f1ol<\/a><\/p>\n

NASA announced on Tuesday that the Miami Sunset Senior High School graduate, who went on to become a NASA astronaut and U.S. Army Colonel, had been selected for the Artemis III mission. <\/p>\n

Rubio, 50, turned his acceptance speech into a gratitude list that included his wife, his four kids, family, friends, \u201cNASA community,\u201d engineers, flight controllers, directors, peers, and support staff. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat an incredible blessing and an honor it is to be standing here representing all of you,\u201d Rubio said<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Jared Isaacman, the 15th administrator of NASA, introduced Rubio<\/a> as an \u201cArmy Black Hawk helicopter pilot, family medicine physician, and record-setting astronaut mission specialist.\u201d <\/p>\n

Rubio and his fellow crew members \u2014 Randy Bresnik, the NASA commander, Andre Douglas, NASA mission specialist, and the European Space Agency\u2019s Luca Parmitano \u2014 are preparing for a 2027 spaceflight around Earth ahead of the 2028 lunar landing.<\/p>\n

Before joining the Johnson Space Center\u2019s 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class, Rubio served in the Army as an aviator and a physician for over 28 years, and he was a West Point \u201cBlack Knights\u201d parachute team member. <\/p>\n

Rubio graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1998 and earned his doctorate of medicine from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2010. <\/p>\n

Rubio\u2019s deployments included Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and he was a battalion surgeon for the 3rd Battalion of the 10th Special Forces Group in the U.S. Army when NASA selected him.<\/p>\n

His long list of awards includes the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and Space Exploration Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with two oak leaf clusters, and the Air Medal. <\/p>\n

Related story: NASA unveils Artemis III astronauts to test technology for a future moon landing<\/a><\/p>\n

Related social media posts<\/p>\n

.@USArmy<\/a> Black Hawk helicopter pilot, family medicine physician, and record-setting astronaut Frank Rubio is joining Artemis III as a mission specialist. pic.twitter.com\/3Uoz1ZbZG4<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NASA (@NASA) June 9, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat an incredible blessing and an honor it is to be standing here representing all of you.\u201d <\/p>\n

Artemis III mission specialist Frank Rubio takes a moment to thank his family and colleagues for their support. pic.twitter.com\/zHqW5ipx9m<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NASA (@NASA) June 9, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

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