Countdown to NASA launch begins with HCMC-trained astronaut aboard

UPDATE: Dr. Kjell Lindgren’s launch to the International Space Station (ISS) was delayed after a problem occurred involving an unmanned cargo spacecraft delivering supplies to the ISS.  The investigation into what caused the problem is now completed – and the ISS launch has been rescheduled for July 22!

Dr. Kjell Lindgren credits his emergency medicine training at HCMC to preparing him for his space launch.

Staff at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) in Minneapolis are counting down the days until the launch of Expedition 45 crew members to the International Space Station in July when they’ll see their student, colleague and friend fulfill his dream of space travel.

NASA astronaut and former Chief Emergency Medicine Resident Dr. Kjell Lindgren will take his medical and aerospace training with him aboard a Soyuz spacecraft that will fly from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan to the International Space Station on Tuesday, May 26, 2015. Dr. Lindgren and his Expedition 45 colleagues will remain on the Space Station until November 2015.

Dr. Lindgren completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at HCMC in 2005, where he appreciated the opportunity to train in a Level I Trauma Center with one of the most sought-after programs in the country. He is currently assigned as a flight engineer with Expedition 44/45.

“The training I received in the HCMC Emergency Medicine residency program provided me with a suite of skills that I still use today,” explains Dr. Lindgren.

In fact, he thinks it’s great training ground for spaceflight.

“The environment can be stressful, teamwork is critical, the job can be mundane one moment and high stakes the next, the breadth of knowledge required is intimidating, and the coffee is not always great.”

Hennepin County Medical Center is a nationally recognized Level I Adult Trauma Center and Level I Pediatric Trauma Center with the largest emergency department in Minnesota. The comprehensive academic medical center and public teaching hospital includes a 472-bed acute care hospital as well as primary care and specialty clinics located in downtown Minneapolis its surrounding communities.

See YouTube video about Dr. Lindgren and his crew.