In June 2019, Lt. Col. Andrew Morgan, MD, will strap into a Russian rocket and become the first U.S. Army physician to orbit the Earth, according to Task & Purpose.
Here are four things to know about Dr. Morgan:
1. Dr. Morgan graduated from West Point, N.Y.-based United States Military Academy in 1998 and enrolled in "America's Medical School," the Bethesda, Md.-based Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, where he specialized in emergency medicine.
2. After completing his residency, he spent several years on assignment with the U.S Army Special Operations Command, which took him to Iraq and Afghanistan, among other locations.
3. He decided to apply for the opportunity to become an astronaut in 2012, and was among fewer than 50 individuals selected to participate in the program out of an applicant pool of more than 6,000 candidates, according to the report.
"When I applied, I figured, 'There's no chance I'm gonna get selected,' because they had never selected an astronaut that looked like me," Dr. Morgan told Task & Purpose. "I planned a career that I was excited about, and nothing excites me more than being in a position of doctor in special operations and taking care of the bravest soldiers on the planet. I had this dream of being an astronaut, but I didn't plan a career around how best to become an astronaut."
4. Dr. Morgan underwent vigorous training for the past six years and will be among crew members of the Soyuz 59S, which is scheduled to launch next summer. Despite having his astronaut dreams come true, Dr. Morgan told the publication he's still a physician at heart.
"At my core, I'm an Army medical doctor, and what I have been able to give to soldiers that I've mentored and soldiers that I've treated and their families that I've treated. That, to me, has been the greatest honor of my life," he said.