Thomas Marshburn
Encyclopedia
Thomas Henry "Tom" Marshburn (born August 29, 1960) is an American
physician
and a NASA
astronaut
. Marshburn was born in Statesville
, North Carolina
. He served as a Mission Specialist
on STS-127
.
, where he graduated in 1978. After high school, Tom received a bachelor of science degree in physics from Davidson College
in North Carolina
in 1982. Marshburn then went on to obtain a masters in engineering physics from the University of Virginia
in 1984. After that Marshburn went to Wake Forest University
where he got a doctorate of medicine degree in 1989. Upon graduation, he went to the University of Texas Medical Branch
where he graduated with a masters in medical science in 1997.
, American Academy of Emergency Medicine and the Aerospace Medical Association
.
, Ohio
. Tom also worked as a Life Flight
physician. After three years of training, the American Board of Emergency Medicine certified him as a doctor
. After being certified, he worked as an emergency physician in Seattle, Washington, before being accepted in the first class of the NASA/UTMB Space Medicine Fellowship in Galveston, Texas
. Upon completion of the program he worked in area emergency rooms in the Houston, Texas area and at the Massachusetts General Hospital
in Boston
, Massachusetts
. He also worked as an attending physician for the emergency medicine residency for The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
.
in Star City, Russia
from February 1996 to May 1997. After that he served in the same role at the Center for Flight Control in Carole
, Russia in support for NASA Expedition 4 to the Mir Space Station. Marshburn served as co-chair of medical operations for the Shuttle/Mir Space Program from July 1997 to August 1998.From 1998 to 2000, Marshburn was deputy flight surgeon for Neuronal (STS-98
) and lead flight surgeon for STS-101
.
Marshburn spent 10 months as a NASA representative to the Harvard/MIT Smart Medical Systems Team of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute in Boston
, Massachusetts
. After that he served as lead flight surgeon for Expedition 7
to the International Space Station
in 2003, supporting from Russia
, Kazakhstan
and Houston. During this time until his selection, Marshburn served as Medical Operations Lead for the ISS. His activities included developing the biomedical training program for flight surgeons and astronaut crew medical officers, and managing the ISS Health Maintenance System.
Marshburn was selected in May 2004 to be a NASA astronaut. He completed his Astronaut Candidate Training in February 2006. This included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station Systems, physical training, T-38 flight Training and water and wilderness survival training. Completion of this training for various technical assignments within the Astronaut Office and future flight assignment as a mission specialist. Marshburn's first flight was on STS-127
, which lifted off on July 15, 2009 at 6:03 p.m. EDT and landed on July 31, 2009. The mission delivered the Japanese-built Exposed Facility (JEM-EF) and the Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section (ELM-ES) to the International Space Station
.
In May 2010, Marshburn served as an aquanaut
during the NEEMO 14 mission aboard the Aquarius
underwater laboratory
, living and working underwater for fourteen days.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and a NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
. Marshburn was born in Statesville
Statesville, North Carolina
Statesville is a city located in Iredell County, North Carolina, United States and was named an All-America City in 1997 and 2009. The population was 24,633 at the 2010 census...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. He served as a Mission Specialist
Mission Specialist
A Mission Specialist is a position held by certain NASA astronauts during Space Shuttle missions. A Mission Specialist is assigned to a limited field of the mission, such as for medical experiments or technical quests....
on STS-127
STS-127
STS-127 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station . It was the twenty-third flight of . The primary purpose of the STS-127 mission was to deliver and install the final two components of the Japanese Experiment Module: the Exposed Facility , and the Exposed Section of the...
.
Education
Marshburn attended Henderson High School in Atlanta, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, where he graduated in 1978. After high school, Tom received a bachelor of science degree in physics from Davidson College
Davidson College
Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. The college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently ranked in the top ten liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report magazine, although it has recently dropped to 11th in U.S. News...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in 1982. Marshburn then went on to obtain a masters in engineering physics from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in 1984. After that Marshburn went to Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
where he got a doctorate of medicine degree in 1989. Upon graduation, he went to the University of Texas Medical Branch
University of Texas Medical Branch
The University of Texas Medical Branch is a component of the University of Texas System located in Galveston, Texas, United States, about 50 miles southeast of Downtown Houston...
where he graduated with a masters in medical science in 1997.
Special honors and organizations
Marshburn is a member of several organizations and has received several different awards. Some of his awards include the NASA Superior Achievement award in 1998, Space and Life Sciences Division Special Space flight Achievement Award in 2003, 2004 and the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Superior Achievement Award in January 2004. Tom belongs to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots AssociationAircraft Owners and Pilots Association
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is a Frederick, Maryland-based non-profit political organization. Incorporated on 15 May 1939, AOPA's membership consists mainly of general aviation pilots in the United States...
, American Academy of Emergency Medicine and the Aerospace Medical Association
Aerospace Medical Association
The Aerospace Medical Association is the largest professional organization in the fields of aviation, space, and environmental medicine. The AsMA membership includes aerospace and hyperbaric medicine specialists, scientists, flight nurses, physiologists, and researchers from all over the world.-...
.
Medical career
Marshburn trained in emergency medicine at St. Vincent Hospitals emergency medicine program in ToledoToledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Tom also worked as a Life Flight
Life Flight
Memorial Hermann Life Flight is an air medical transport service based in Houston, Texas. Life Flight flies into 12th floor of the John S. Dunn Heli-Stop atop Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. It was founded in 1976.-History:...
physician. After three years of training, the American Board of Emergency Medicine certified him as a doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
. After being certified, he worked as an emergency physician in Seattle, Washington, before being accepted in the first class of the NASA/UTMB Space Medicine Fellowship in Galveston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Upon completion of the program he worked in area emergency rooms in the Houston, Texas area and at the Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. He also worked as an attending physician for the emergency medicine residency for The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston was created by the UT System Board of Regents and supported by the Texas Legislature in 1972...
.
NASA career
Marshburn joined NASA in 1994, serving as a flight surgeon at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas in November 1994. He was assigned to the Space Shuttle Medical Operations and the joint US/Russian Space Program. Marshburn served as the flight surgeon to NASA personnel deployed to the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training CenterYuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center
The Yu. A. Gagarin State Scientific Research-and-Testing Cosmonaut Training Center is a Russian training facility responsible for training cosmonauts for their space missions...
in Star City, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
from February 1996 to May 1997. After that he served in the same role at the Center for Flight Control in Carole
Carole
Carole is a feminine given name .*A carole is a festive song or medieval dance, related to the formes fixes of the early Renaissance, and the ancestor of the English carol....
, Russia in support for NASA Expedition 4 to the Mir Space Station. Marshburn served as co-chair of medical operations for the Shuttle/Mir Space Program from July 1997 to August 1998.From 1998 to 2000, Marshburn was deputy flight surgeon for Neuronal (STS-98
STS-98
STS-98 was a 2001 Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Atlantis. STS-98 delivered to the station the Destiny Laboratory Module...
) and lead flight surgeon for STS-101
STS-101
-Mission parameters:* Mass:** Orbiter landing with payload: ** Payload: * Perigee: * Apogee: * Inclination: 51.6°* Period: 91 min-Space walks:* Voss and Williams – EVA 1...
.
Marshburn spent 10 months as a NASA representative to the Harvard/MIT Smart Medical Systems Team of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. After that he served as lead flight surgeon for Expedition 7
Expedition 7
Expedition 7 was the seventh expedition to the International Space Station.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Perigee: 384 km*Apogee: 396 km*Inclination: 51.6°*Period: 92 min...
to the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
in 2003, supporting from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
and Houston. During this time until his selection, Marshburn served as Medical Operations Lead for the ISS. His activities included developing the biomedical training program for flight surgeons and astronaut crew medical officers, and managing the ISS Health Maintenance System.
Marshburn was selected in May 2004 to be a NASA astronaut. He completed his Astronaut Candidate Training in February 2006. This included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station Systems, physical training, T-38 flight Training and water and wilderness survival training. Completion of this training for various technical assignments within the Astronaut Office and future flight assignment as a mission specialist. Marshburn's first flight was on STS-127
STS-127
STS-127 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station . It was the twenty-third flight of . The primary purpose of the STS-127 mission was to deliver and install the final two components of the Japanese Experiment Module: the Exposed Facility , and the Exposed Section of the...
, which lifted off on July 15, 2009 at 6:03 p.m. EDT and landed on July 31, 2009. The mission delivered the Japanese-built Exposed Facility (JEM-EF) and the Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section (ELM-ES) to the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
.
In May 2010, Marshburn served as an aquanaut
Aquanaut
An Aquanaut is any individual who remains underwater, exposed to the ambient pressure, long enough to come into equilibrium with his or her breathing media. Usually this is done in an underwater habitat on the seafloor for a period equal to or greater than 24 continuous hours without returning to...
during the NEEMO 14 mission aboard the Aquarius
Aquarius (laboratory)
The NOAA Aquarius Reef Base is an underwater habitat located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, adjacent to Conch Reef. It is one of the few underwater research facilities in the world dedicated to science...
underwater laboratory
Underwater habitat
Underwater habitats are underwater structures in which people can live for extended periods and carry out most of the basic human functions of a 24-hour day, such as working, resting, eating, attending to personal hygiene, and sleeping...
, living and working underwater for fourteen days.