Thomas H. Marshburn, MD
Nasa
Sierra Space, a leading space company building the first end-to-end commercial and technology platform in space, today announced Thomas H. Marshburn, MD, as Medical Director of the Human Spaceflight Center and from the company’s Astronaut Training Academy. Dr. Marshburn will report to Sierra Space President and former NASA astronaut Dr. Janet Kavandi.
Dr. Marshburn, also a seasoned astronaut, will be based at the Sierra Space facility located at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He is a veteran of three spaceflights, STS-127, Expedition 34/35 and Expedition 66/67 as part of Crew-3. Before becoming an astronaut, Marshburn served as a flight surgeon, assigned to Space Shuttle medical operations and the joint US-Russian space program. Dr. Mashburn then became Medical Operations Manager for the International Space Station.
“Today marks a turning point for Sierra Space, as we welcome Tom to the team,” said Sierra Space President Dr. Janet Kavandi. “With the development of the Sierra Space Human Spaceflight Center and the Astronaut Training Academy, we are changing the landscape of the commercial space economy. Tom will play a pivotal role in shaping the bold and ambitious plans for Sierra Space. We look forward to seeing all the contributions his expertise, abilities, and strengths as a veteran physician and leader will bring to Sierra Space and the future astronauts we will train.
Marshburn served as a pilot for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which launched November 10, 2021. He also served as a flight engineer on Expedition 66 and commander of the Expedition 67 during this mission. Returning on May 6, 2022, the international crew of four spent 177 days in orbit.
“I am thrilled to join Sierra Space in this important role with the Human Spaceflight Center,” added Marshburn. “I look forward to creating and developing the rules, regulations and training that will ensure that Sierra Space will properly equip the future astronaut corps with the tools necessary to succeed as society expands humanity’s reach in the world. space with the launch of the Dream Chaser space plane and the Orbital Reef space station.
Marshburn earned a bachelor of science degree in physics from Davidson College, North Carolina, in 1982; a master’s degree in engineering physics from the University of Virginia
in 1984; an MD from Wake Forest University in 1989; and a Master of Medical Science degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in 1997.
Sierra Space is building the world’s first commercial space platform, enabling a vibrant new space economy where companies from multiple industries can develop their next groundbreaking products and services in the unique environment of space, delivering tomorrow’s discoveries for the benefit of life on Earth. The company’s new Human Space Flight Center and Astronaut Training Academy will recruit, train and prepare the future corps of astronauts required for the development of the commercial space economy.
About Sierra Space
Sierra Space (www.sierraspace.com) is a leading commercial space company at the forefront of space innovation and commercialization in the orbital age. Sierra Space builds platforms in space to benefit life on Earth. The company is set to double its workforce, with large presences in Colorado, Florida and Wisconsin. Key investors in Sierra Space include General Atlantic, Coatue and Moore Strategic Ventures.
With over 30 years and 500 spaceflight legacy missions, Sierra Space is enabling the future of space transportation with Dream Chaser®, the world’s only winged commercial spaceplane. Under construction at its Colorado headquarters and slated for launch in 2023 on the first in a series of NASA missions to the International Space Station, Dream Chaser® can safely transport cargo – and possibly crew – to destinations in orbit, returning to land on commercial airport runways around the world.
The company is also setting up a manned spaceflight center and an astronaut training academy. Sierra Space is also building an array of space destinations for commercialization in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), including the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFETM) habitat at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a three-story commercial habitation and a platform. scientific form designed for LEO. Dream Chaser and LIFE are both central elements of Orbital Reef, a mixed-use business park at LEO developed by leading partners Sierra Space and Blue Origin, which is expected to be operational by the end of the decade.
CONTACTS:
Alex Walker
Sierra Space
(303) 803-2297 Alex.Walker@sncorp.com
Eric Becker
ICR for Sierra Space (303) 638-3469 SierraSpace@icrinc.com
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