USU Faculty Member to Become Lead Crew Surgeon for NASA Artemis II Mission
Col. (Dr.) Rick Scheuring, an associate professor for the USU School of Medicine's Military and Emergency Medicine department was assigned as the Artemis II Lead Crew Surgeon by NASA space medicine management.
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Army Col. (Dr.) Richard Scheuring trains in the International Space Station mock-up in NASA's neutral buoyancy lab. Scheuring was lauded for his support of ISS Expedition 53 with NASA's Silver Snoopy Award. (Photo courtesy of NASA) |
June 28, 2023 by USU External Affairs
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| Army Col. (Dr.) Richard Scheuring (NASA photo) |
From the NASA announcement:
"This decision was not made lightly and involved many factors, notably availability coinciding with the commencement of crew training, complementary technical knowledge and operational experience, and ability to skillfully and effectively navigate challenges associated with this high-visibility mission, while simultaneously providing exceptional care and attention to protect crew health and well-being.
Providing the medical support for all phases of the Artemis II mission and crew will take a full, integrated team to achieve mission success. Scheuring’s Experience and expertise in operational medical support, covering space shuttle and ISS 6-month missions, knowledge of the Apollo lunar missions and new exploration EVA mobility unit (xEMU) or space suit development, and leading a team of NASA and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Orion Flight Surgeon’s from launch to landing will ensure NASA is poised for success not only for Artemis II, but also for the many Artemis missions to follow.
Scheuring and Artemis medical team’s work is critical in laying the groundwork to achieve NASA’s exploration goals. Duties will include serving as the lead surgeon for Artemis II crew pre-flight medical certification process, medical training, launch and landing recovery support, on-orbit medical care and operational surveillance, and contingency medical support."
In his capacity as an associate professor at USU, Scheuring supports the Operation Bushmaster, ACME, and Gunpowder field exercises for students, and works as an instructor for the Operational Space Medicine Elective. Additionally, Scheuring mentors USU medical students rotating in the aerospace medicine clerkship at NASA-JSC in Houston, Texas.
