TEDxTraverse City- Jerry Linenger-Changing Your Perspective

Captain Jerry Linenger is a retired United States Navy flight surgeon and NASA astronaut. A naval academy graduate, he holds doctorates in both medicine and research methodology, as well as dual masters degrees in policy and systems management. He has also been awarded three honorary doctorate degrees in science.

During what has been reported to be one of the most dangerous and dramatic missions in space history, Linenger spent nearly five months aboard the Russian space station Mir. He faced numerous life-threatening events, including repeated failure of critical life-support systems, a near-collision between the space station and an incoming re-supply spacecraft and computer failures that sent the space station tumbling uncontrollably through space. As if these problems were not enough, he narrowly survived a raging out-of-control fire that was later described as the most severe fire ever aboard an orbiting spacecraft.

In spite of these challenges, Linenger and his two Russian crewmates accomplished all mission goals: shuttle docking, space walking, a Soyuz flyaround and all 120 of the science experiments. In completing the mission, he logged 50 million miles, the equivalent distance of over 110 roundtrips to the moon, traveling at a speed of nearly 18,000 miles per hour. He was the first American ever to undock from a space station in a Russian Soyuz capsule and the first American to do a space walk in a Russian spacesuit. At mission completion, Linenger held the endurance record for the longest time in space for an American man. In 1998, NASA awarded Linenger the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award conferred by NASA, citing his courage and outstanding service to our country.

Linenger is author of the books Off the Planet, which chronicles his time in space; and Letters from Mir: An Astronauts Letters to His Son. He is a founding board member of the global freshwater think tank Circle of Blue. He has appeared in numerous documentaries seen on Discovery, Nova, History Channel, PBS and National Geographic Television. As a space analyst, Linenger is seen frequently on NBC's Today, Nightly News, MSNBC; as well as on various CBS, CNN, PBS and Fox news shows. He has also worked behind the scenes as scientific advisor to various futuristic voyage to Mars films.

In his free time, Linenger enjoys bicycle touring, playing hockey, swimming, hiking and kayaking. He now lives back on the planet in northern Michigan with his wife, Kathryn, and their four children

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