Jul 20, 2009 9:26 am US/Eastern
Oye! NASA Picks First Cuban American Astronaut
HOUSTON, Tx (CBS4) ―
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Serena Maria Auñón is NASA's first Cuban-American astronaut.
NASA/CBS
Chosen from a list of more than 35 hundred qualified candidates, Serena Maria Auñón is NASA's first Cuban-American astronaut.
The 33-year-old Auñón, who was selected last month along with eight other astronauts for the next several space missions, credits her father for her discipline and dedication, according to
CBS4 news partners
The Miami Herald. The astronaut said her father arrived in the U.S. on October 24th, 1960 penniless. She said he made many sacrifices and worked hard to eventually become a dean of engineering at the University of Alabama at Huntsville.
Auñón, who now calls League City, Texas home, said she and her three sisters grew up listening to stories about Cuba and followed the Cuban traditions their father taught them.
While going through medical school Auñón, who said she knew she wanted to work for NASA, discovered that the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas offered a combined residency program in Internal Medicine and Aerospace Medicine. After spending six 6 years at UTMB, she was hired as a flight surgeon serving NASA. Auñón spent several months in Russia supporting ISS crews during their training. She said during her time there she learned what an astronaut's life would be like while training for long-duration missions aboard ISS.
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)
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