Patricia Robertson
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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 agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
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. She was married to Scott Robertson.


Education

She graduated from Homer-Center High School,
Homer City, Pennsylvania 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 ...
, 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 o ...
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 A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...
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 in 1992 and was certified by the
American Board of Family Medicine The American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) is a non-profit, independent medical association of American physicians who practice in family medicine and its sub-specialties. Founded in February 1969 as the American Board of Family Practice (ABFP) ...
in the same year. She completed a two-year fellowship in space medicine at the
University of Texas Medical Branch The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) is a public academic health science center in Galveston, Texas. It is part of the University of Texas System. UTMB includes the oldest medical school in Texas, and has about 11,000 employees. In Febr ...
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 ...
in 1997, which included the Aerospace Medicine Primary Course at
Brooks Air Force Base Brooks Air Force Base was a United States Air Force facility located in San Antonio, Texas, southeast of Downtown San Antonio. In 2002, Brooks Air Force Base was renamed Brooks City-Base when the property was conveyed to the Brooks Developm ...
.


Medical career

After completing her training in Family Medicine in 1992, Robertson joined a group practice, Elk Valley Medical Center in
Girard, Pennsylvania Girard is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,994 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Erie Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Girard's history began with a petition to "Township Status" in 1832 by r ...
. 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 ...
, 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
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 ( ...
systems, physiological training and ground school to prepare for T-38 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 i ...
from burn injuries sustained in the crash of a private plane at Wolfe Air Park,
Manvel, Texas Manvel is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 9,992, up from 5,179 at the 2010 census. History The population increased from 5,179 to 9,992 from 2010 to 2020, and in November 2021 there wer ...
, 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
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 was named in her honor in 2009.


Organizations

* Aerospace Medicine Association * American Association of Family Practice *
Experimental Aircraft Association The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 200,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapt ...
*
International Aerobatic Club The International Aerobatic Club (IAC) is a division of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and the National Aeronautics Association (NAA). It promotes aerobatics and governs the sport of competition aerobatics in the United States under ...
*
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is a Frederick, Maryland-based American non-profit political organization that advocates for general aviation. AOPA's membership consists mainly of general aviation pilots in the United States ...


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 Indiana Regional Medical Center. * Northrop Grumman Cygnus Spacecraft S.S. Patricia “Patty” Hilliard Robertson scheduled for launch in early 2024 for Cygnus NG-20 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