Patricia Consolatrix Hilliard Robertson (March 12, 1963 – May 24, 2001) was an American

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and a

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

astronaut. She died in a plane crash the year before she would have flown to the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...

Biography

She was born in

Indiana, Pennsylvania Indiana is a borough in and the county seat of Indiana County in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The population was 13,564 at the 2020 census, and since 2013 has been part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. After being a long time par ...

to Ilse Hilliard and the late Harold Hilliard of

Homer City Homer City is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,746 at the 2020 census. Homer City is located in the Indiana metro area. The community was named for the famous Greek poet Homer by founder William Wilso ...

. She was married to Scott Robertson.

Education

She graduated from Homer-Center High School, Homer City, Pennsylvania, in 1980. She received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

from

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is a public research university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. As of fall 2021, the university enrolled 7,044 undergraduates and 1,865 postgraduates, for a total enrollment of 9,009 students. The univ ...

in 1985, and a medical degree from the

Medical College of Pennsylvania Drexel University College of Medicine is the medical school of Drexel University, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The medical school represents the consolidation of two medical schools: the first U.S. medical schoo ...

in 1989. She completed a three-year residency in

family medicine Family medicine is a medical specialty within primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and parts of the body. The specialist, who is usually a primary ...

in 1992 and was certified by the American Board of Family Medicine in the same year. She completed a two-year fellowship in space medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch and

NASA Johnson Space Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight control are conducted. It was renamed in honor of the late U ...

in 1997, which included the Aerospace Medicine Primary Course at Brooks Air Force Base.

Medical career

After completing her training in Family Medicine in 1992, Robertson joined a group practice, Elk Valley Medical Center in Girard, Pennsylvania. She was on the staff of Saint Vincent Medical Center in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

, for three years where she served as the clinical coordinator for medical student training, and also provided training and supervision for resident physicians. In 1995, Robertson was one of two fellows selected to study aerospace medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, and at the Johnson Space Center, Houston. While enrolled as a Space Medicine Fellow, Robertson completed a research project where she studied eccentric and concentric resistive exercise countermeasures for space flight. Robertson also served as a member of the faculty at UTMB in the departments of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine. In 1997, Robertson joined the Flight Medicine Clinic at Johnson Space Center, where she provided health care for astronauts and their families, and served as Chairman of the Bone, Muscle, and Exercise Integrated Product Team. Robertson was a multiengine rated flight instructor and avid aerobatic pilot. In her free time, she enjoyed flight instructing, aerobatics, and flying with her husband. She had accumulated over 1,500 hours of flight time.

NASA career

Selected by NASA in June 1998, Robertson reported for training in August 1998. Her Astronaut Candidate training included orientation briefings and tours, numerous scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and

systems, physiological training and ground school to prepare for

T-38 T38 or T-38 may refer to: * T38 (classification), a disability sport classification for disability athletics * T.38, a standard for fax over IP * T-38 tank, a Soviet light tank * Allison T38, a turboprop aircraft engine * Northrop T-38 Talon, a U.S ...

flight training, as well as learning water and wilderness survival techniques. After completing training, she served as the office representative for the Crew Healthcare System (CHeCS), and as Crew Support Astronaut (CSA) for the ISS

Expedition 2 Expedition 2 (also called ISS EO-2) was the second long-duration spaceflight aboard the International Space Station, immediately following Expedition 1. Its three-person crew stayed aboard the station from March to August 2001. In addition to st ...

crew.

Death

Robertson died May 24, 2001, in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

from burn injuries sustained in the crash of a private plane at

Wolfe Air Park Wolfe may refer to: Places Canada * Wolfe (provincial electoral district), a former electoral district in Quebec * Wolfe Lake, Ontario * Wolfe Island (Ontario), in Lake Ontario, Ontario * Wolfe Island (Nova Scotia), in the Atlantic Ocean near Nova ...

, Manvel, Texas, on May 22, 2001; she was 38 years old. Robertson had been providing instruction to a private pilot when control of the aircraft was lost.FTW01LA125
��

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...

She was living at Homer City and she was scheduled to fly to the International Space Station in the following year. The Patricia Hilliard Robertson Center for Aviation Medicine at the

Indiana Regional Medical Center Indiana Regional Medical Center is a not-for-profit hospital located in Indiana, Pennsylvania Indiana is a borough in and the county seat of Indiana County in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The population was 13,564 at the 2020 censu ...

was named in her honor in 2009.

Organizations

Aerospace Medicine Association Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astron ...

* American Association of Family Practice * Experimental Aircraft Association * International Aerobatic Club * Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

Honors and awards

* NASA Performance Award * Young Investigator Award Finalist (Aerospace Medicine Association) * IUP Distinguished Alumni Award, 2000

Legacy

* Patricia Hilliard Robertson Center for Aviation Medicine at the

. * Northrop Grumman Cygnus Spacecraft S.S. Patricia “Patty” Hilliard Robertson scheduled for launch in early 2024 for

Cygnus NG-20 Cygnus is the Latin word for swan and may refer to: Astronomy * Cygnus (constellation), a northern constellation ** Cygnus A, a radio galaxy within the constellation ** Cygnus X (star complex), a star complex within the constellation ** Cygnus ...

mission * *

References

External links

*
NTSB.gov accident report

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Patricia Consolatrix Hilliard 1963 births 2001 deaths American astronauts Physician astronauts People from Houston Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States People from Indiana, Pennsylvania Accidental deaths in Texas Indiana University of Pennsylvania alumni Drexel University alumni Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2001 Women astronauts American women aviators