Frank Rubio
NASA Astronaut and U.S. Army Colonel
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Summary
Dr. Frank Rubio was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class and reported for duty at the Johnson Space Center in August 2017. Prior to joining NASA, the Florida native graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1998, earned a Doctorate of Medicine from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 2010, and served in the US Army as an aviator and a physician for over 19 years. COL Rubio was a member of the West Point Parachute Team, the “Black Knights.” He is a Jumpmaster with over 650 freefall skydives, PRO-rating, and D-license holder. As an Army Aviator, he served as a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot and flew more than 1,100 hours, including more than 600 hours of combat and imminent danger time during deployments to Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Dr. Rubio is a board-certified family physician and flight surgeon. He completed his residency at Ft. Benning, GA and subsequently served as a clinic supervisor at Redstone Arsenal. At the time of his selection, he was serving in the 3rd Battalion of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, CO.
Personal
Rubio was born in Los Angeles, California, but considers Miami, Florida, his hometown. He is married to Deborah Rubio, and the couple has four children. His mother, Myrna Argueta, lives in El Salvador
Education
Graduated from Miami Sunset Senior High School in Miami, Florida. Earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Earned a Doctorate of Medicine from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Family Medicine Residency at Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Benning, Georgia.
Experience
Rubio was a member of the West Point Parachute Team, the “Black Knights.” He is a Jumpmaster with over 650 freefall skydives, PRO-rating, and D-license holder. He served as a platoon leader in A Company, 2-82nd Assault Aviation (REDHAWKS), and as a company commander in A Company, 2-3rd Aviation (STORM). Rubio also served as a clinic supervisor, an executive medicine provider, and a flight surgeon at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. At the time of his selection in June 2017, he was a battalion surgeon for the 3rd Battalion of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in the U.S. Army.
NASA Experience
COL Rubio, along with cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin of Roscosmos, launched on Sept. 21, 2022 on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station. The crew landed on Sept. 27, 2023, with Rubio breaking the record for the longest single duration spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut with a mission duration of 371 days. During the mission, he traveled 157,412,306 statute miles, saw the arrival of 15 visiting vehicles, and flew with 28 different crewmates aboard the ISS. Rubio conducted three spacewalks totaling 21 hours, 24 minutes and installed two new IROSA Solar Arrays for the ISS. He is currently serving as the Class Advisor for the NASA Astronaut Candidate Class of 2025.
Awards/Honors
COL Rubio has been awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and Space Exploration Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with two oak leaf clusters, Air Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal with four oak leaf clusters, NATO Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. He has a Combat Action Badge, Senior Aviator Badge with Astronaut Device, Senior Space Badge, Flight Surgeon Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Air Assault Badge, and Parachutist Badge. He is a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College, US Army Captain’s Career Course and Officer Basic Course, Joint Firepower Control Course, Cavalry Leader’s Course, and the US Army Flight Surgeon Course.