Happy birthday, astronaut Raja Chari!

Raja Chari, born June 24, 1977 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and raised in Cedar Falls, Iowa, went into space aboard SpaceX Crew-3 to the International Space Station.  He graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1999, and attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance AFB in Enid, Oklahoma. In December 2020, he was selected for the Artemis Team, to help pave the way back to the moon.

He was commander of the SpaceX Crew-3 in the Endurance, launched November 11, 2021 to the ISS.  He participated in Expeditions 66-67 and conducted 2 EVAs, lasting a total of almost 14 hours, during his stay.  Chari returned to Earth in May 2022 after 174 days in space. 

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month: Linda Garcia Cubero, first Hispanic woman graduate of US Air Force Academy

Linda Garcia Cubero, born in 1958 in Shreveport, Louisiana, is the first Hispanic woman to graduate from any military service academy when she graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1980. 

She served the next seven years as a commander briefer, and received the Joint Service Commendation Medal for her work with the Pentagon's intelligence task force.  She served as a mentor to Hispanic Air Force cadets and awarded the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Pioneer Award in 1991.

She left the Air Force as Captain in 1987.