A professor and researcher at the Feinberg School of Medicine could be taking his experiments into space after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration selected him as an astronaut candidate Thursday.
Robert Satcher, a professor of orthopedic surgery, will report to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston by July 1 to begin a year-long training program alongside 10 other candidates from across the country.
Despite Satcher’s title — he is technically a “candidate” — Satcher and his classmates in the training program almost certainly will become full-fledged astronauts, NASA spokeswoman Melissa Mathews told The Daily on Thursday.
“I think with his credentials, he’s going to fit in really nicely,” she said.
Mathews said Satcher could take a number of paths after completing training, ranging from conducting research on earth to taking flights to the International Space Station.
“Once they get through this year of training, we’ll have a better idea of what he’ll be doing,” she said.
The 11 candidates were selected from a field of 2,000 applicants. Satcher, 38, will be a “mission specialist” and is one of two surgeons selected.
Satcher’s research at Feinberg focuses on cancer-induced bone deterioration and he is one of the few surgeons in the country who specializes in a form of surgery allowing for the selective removal of cancerous pieces of bone.
His area of expertise will prove especially beneficial on future missions, Mathews said.
“They are going to look at issues like how long durations in space affect the body,” she said. “When you’re in zero-gravity, your bones deteriorate.”
Satcher’s class will be the first since NASA announced its “new vision” for space exploration, Mathews said. Part of this plan includes sending astronauts to the moon and eventually to Mars.
The Mars voyage — a trip that experts say could involve a year of space flight — is where Satcher’s research could be most valuable, Mathews said. Such a long voyage would be taxing on the body, and his research on bone degeneration could be useful in a potential voyage, she said.
Satcher, who was in Washington on Thursday, could not be reached for comment.
Laura Simons, a research technician at Feinberg, said she is proud to have gotten to know Satcher over the past year. Simons is one of five researchers in the lab where Satcher works.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Simons said. “We’re ecstatic for him. It’s really neat to know someone like him.”
“It’s awesome,” said Michael Schafer, chairman of Feinberg’s orthopedic surgery department who recruited Satcher in 2001. “NASA and the country’s gain is Northwestern’s loss. But we wish him well. This is a tremendous honor.”
Satcher’s research in space, if he goes, could also have direct applications on earth, Schafer said.
“Spaceflight is associated with weightlessness, which has a lot to do with loss of bone density,” Schafer said. “This is a huge problem in the U.S. with women — it’s called osteoporosis.”
Satcher will take a leave of absence from NU to begin his training, Schafer said. But he will continue to be listed as a faculty member. Schafer said he is unsure how long Satcher will remain at NASA.
Satcher is the second Feinberg-affiliated physician that NASA has recruited. Joseph Kerwin, who graduated from Feinberg in 1957 and flew on the Sky Lab Mission in 1973, was the first.
