Cadet’s astronaut father to speak at NCLS

U.S. Air Force Academy Basic Cadet Kai Lindgren returns from Basic Cadet Training at Jacks Valley with his father, Dr. Kjell Lindgren, July 28, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Kjell Lindgren)

By Randy Roughton
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.– When U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 4th Class Kai Lindgren was born in 2004, his father was training in emergency medicine in Minneapolis. Five years later, Dr. Kjell Lindgren was accepted into NASA’s astronaut program, completing an unusual path to space since his Academy graduation in 1995.

A medical issue derailed Dr. Lindgren’s hopes for a U.S. Air Force flying career during undergraduate pilot training and eventually led to a medical discharge. Fortunately, Lindgren developed a passion for biology as a cadet and completed medical school at the University of Colorado. His medical issue was resolved during emergency medicine training and Lindgren later completed a second residency in aerospace medicine. NASA hired him as a flight surgeon in 2007, two years before his selection as an astronaut.

“It is hard to envision a path that connects being medically discharged from the military to becoming an astronaut,” Lindgren said. “That certainly was the case in my mind. I thought that door was closed to me.”

NASA astronaut Dr. Kjell Lindgren will speak at the National Character and Leadership Symposium, scheduled for Feb. 21-23, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Kjell Lindgren)

Sharing a story of resiliency

Lindgren will speak at the 31st annual National Character and Leadership Symposium, scheduled for Feb. 21-23. Lindgren’s presentation will illustrate resiliency. After not landing a flight school opportunity he ultimately reached the stars in a stellar NASA career. Lindgren flew on Expedition 44/45 and logged about four and a half months in space. He participated in two spacewalks and more than a hundred different scientific experiments. Lindgren also served as the commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station, returning home on Oct. 14, 2022.

Even though Lindgren’s initial hopes of an Air Force pilot career did not pan out, he credits his Academy education and all who supported him with providing other opportunities for him.

“I’m grateful for those who walked alongside me and invested in me—the instructors, classmates, mentors, friends, and, most of all, my family,” Lindgren said.

The son of an astronaut

Cadet Lindgren does not recall much of his father’s early astronaut career, but he remembers hearing his mother celebrate when she learned that Lindgren was selected into the NASA astronaut program. He has a more vivid memory of when his father called his classroom from the ISS on his ninth birthday.

One semester into his Academy career, Cadet Lindgren is considering either an Air Force career or potentially following his father into the space domain. The important thing to him is the opportunity to serve like his father and grandparents. He has been focused on a service-related career since he visited the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi, Texas, in seventh grade. By his sophomore year of high school, Cadet Lindgren began seriously considering following his father to the Academy.

“I knew then that military service was something I wanted to do,” Cadet Lindgren said. “The legacy of service in my family is strong. I developed a heart for service. The Academy was a natural next step.”

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 4th Class Kai Lindgren is pictured on the Terrazzo Nov. 28, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rayna Grace)

Registration opens Jan. 3

The NCLS 2024 theme, Valuing Human Conditions, Cultures, and Societies, explores the complexities of being human and examines the qualities exemplified by admirable citizens and leaders. Events are scheduled for Feb. 21-23, 2024, with registration opening Jan. 3. The symposium’s tagline is Embrace Culture. Empower People. #NCLS2024.

See video playlist and photo albums for more on last year’s NCLS.