Born: 1959 (West Point, New York)
Biography:
Yvonne Darlene Cagle (born April 24, 1959) is an American physician, professor, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, and NASA Astronaut. Cagle joined NASA as an astronaut in 1996. She is one of six African American female astronauts.
Education:
Born in West Point, New York, Yvonne Cagle graduated from Novato High School in Novato, California. She received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from San Francisco State University in 1981, and a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Washington in 1985. She completed a transitional internship at Highland General Hospital in Oakland, California in 1985 and received a certificate in Aerospace Medicine from the School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas, in 1988. She then went on to complete a residency in family practice at Ghent FP at Eastern Virginia Medical School in 1992 and received certification as a senior aviation medical examiner from the Federal Aviation Administration in 1995.
U.S. Air Force:
Cagle retired from the United States Air Force with the rank of Colonel in 2008. In May 1989, as a commissioned medical officer assigned to the 48th Tactical Hospital in the United Kingdom, Cagle served as the Air Force Medical Liaison Officer for the STS-30 mission to test the Magellan spacecraft, before she became a NASA astronaut. She worked as a medical doctor at NASA’s Occupational Health Clinic from 1994 to 1996. In 1996, she was selected for astronaut training by NASA.
Astronaut Career:
Yvonne Cagle was a member of the Astronaut Class of 1996 (NASA Astronaut Group 16). Cagle is also an advisor for NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program (originally named CRuSR – Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research Program).
Currently, Dr. Cagle is on faculty and serves as the NASA liaison for exploration and space development with Singularity University. During the workshop, Dr. Cagle was embedded with the crew as a crew training consultant and advisor, providing insights and feedback to both the crew and study team from the viewpoint of an astronaut, flight surgeon, space development expert, and science liaison.
In 2013, she was selected as part of the reserve crew for Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS), which is part of a study for NASA to determine the best way to keep astronauts well nourished during multiple-year missions to Mars or the moon. Furthermore, Dr. Cagle is also listed as an honorary member of the Danish Astronautical Society.
In 2014, Cagle was a visiting professor at Fordham University where she participated in interdisciplinary research in health, environment, and human performance. She was awarded an honorary Ph.D. by Fordham University for her substantial and significant contributions to the fields of science, technology, and human health.
Awards:
– Honorary Ph.D. from Fordham University for her substantial and significant contributions to the fields of science, technology, and human health.