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Minnesota-Trained Doctor To Launch To Space Station

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An astronaut trained as a doctor in Minnesota is set to go into space next week.

Dr. Kjell Lindgren will be part of NASA's Expedition 44/45 launch on July 22. The Soyuz spacecraft will carry a crew including Lindgren to the International Space Station.

Lindgren will serve as flight engineer for the mission. The mission originally was scheduled to launch on May 25 but was delayed after an unmanned Russian cargo spacecraft failed to reach the space station on April 30. The malfunction had to be investigated before the expedition's launch could be rescheduled.

Lindgren completed his medical residency in the emergency department of Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

Hospital employees are counting down to the launch with posts on social media and a Russian-themed menu in the cafeteria.

(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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