THE VIEW FROM ABOVE


P


icture the sunrise and sunset in fast-forward. Watch the moon jump over the horizon and then disappear again—watch the twist of a hurricane, or the slow creep of a Saharan dust cloud across the ocean. International


borders vanish and the inhabitants of the planet all become one race: human.


Tis is the perspective astronauts have from the International Space Station (ISS), according to Lt. Col. Anne McClain and Col. Andrew Morgan, M.D., Army officers and astronauts themselves. Of course, attaining this magnificent view requires personal dedi- cation, a background in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and a team of people—from ground staff to scientists to other astronauts—from across the globe.


FLIGHT CLUB NASA’s astronaut crew selection process has always been secretive, and many people never discover the reason they were chosen to fly. To apply for the job, however, the only requirements are U.S. citizenship, a master’s degree in a STEM field and two years of related professional experience. Tis allows people with diverse backgrounds the opportunity to go to space, and McClain and


Morgan are no exceptions. Both are graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and both have illustrious careers as Army officers, but that’s where the similarities end.


Morgan jumped with the “Black Knights” parachute team while at West Point, is board certified in emergency medicine and served as the battalion surgeon with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) “Desert Eagles.” He was assigned to special operations forces and was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa. McClain has an M.S. in aerospace engineering and an M.S. in international relations. As an Army senior aviator, she has more than 2,000 flight-hours in 20 different aircraft—and 800 of those hours were in combat, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.


“Much like Lt. Col. McClain, I am a Soldier first—both of us believe that very strongly—we’ve both of us made that decision first, to go to West Point and be an officer and become a leader of character,” Morgan said. Many aspects of his background come in handy as an astronaut, but none more than the idea of self- less service. “Tat’s a fundamental part of being a leader—it’s also very inherent in being a physician, and, as it turns out, it’s also really important in being a good astronaut, to be a good


BLACK KNIGHTS IN SPACE


Army astronauts Col. Andrew Morgan, M.D., and Lt. Col. Anne McClain speak with Army AL&T during a Microsoft Teams interview on Sept. 23. Both were graduates of the U.S. Mili- tary Academy at West Point, though their careers diverged from that point.


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Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2021


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