Chicago surgeon to operate on space station's arms
A Chicago area doctor is about to become the first orthopedic surgeon in space.
On Monday, Dr. Robert Satcher Jr., 44, will be one of six astronauts to embark on a journey to the international space station aboard the space shuttle Atlantis.
Satcher, a specialist in child and adult bone cancer, is a surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Children's Memorial Hospital. He also is an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine.
His uncle is Dr. David Satcher, a former U.S. surgeon general.
During the 11-day mission, Satcher will help fix a pair of robotic arms on the exterior of the space station and conduct experiments from the shuttle, such as looking at the effects of outer space on the immune system.
Satcher, a married father of two who has dreamt about being an astronaut since he was a kid, said he is most looking forward to performing maneuvers outside the spacecraft.
"You get to go outside the spacecraft in a space suit, and the views are spectacular. It gives you the most vivid experience of being in outer space. You are literally out there," he said in a Northwestern news release.
The lifelong basketball fan has said that an NBA All-Star jersey is one of the items he plans to take into space.
Twitter users can follow his journey at www.twitter .com/astro_bones.