Taiwan-born astronaut to visit Taiwan to mark U.S.' 250th anniversary

Taipei, April 15 (CNA) Taiwan-born American astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren will be in Taiwan next week to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the United States to mark its 250th anniversary.

Lindgren will visit Taiwan from April 21 to 25 as part of the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' U.S. Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement Wednesday.

During his visit, Lindgren will engage with key leaders across the island "to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers," the AIT, the de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan, said.

Lindgren will begin his trip in Taipei with meetings with senior Taiwanese leaders.

In northern Hsinchu and Taoyuan, he will visit the Taiwan Space Agency and National Central University to engage with researchers and students involved in space science and technology, according to the AIT.

In Tainan, he will visit the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) Han-Min Hsia Center for Space Science and Technology, as well as the NCKU Space Lab.

Lindgren will then return to Taipei to conclude his tour with a lecture at the Taipei Astronomical Museum, the statement said.

Born in Taipei in 1973 to a U.S. Air Force family, Lindgren earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Colorado and a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

In a 2020 interview with CNA, Lindgren, whose Chinese name is Lin Chi-erh (林琪兒), said he was born in Taipei and lived in Taichung for more than two years before his family moved away.

His father was a U.S. Air Force member stationed in Taichung at the time, and his Taiwanese mother, Chang Chu-yun (張楚筠), was working at a bank in Taichung when she met his father.

According to the AIT, Lindgren began his NASA career as a flight surgeon in 2007.

He currently serves as deputy director of the Flight Operations Directorate at the NASA Johnson Space Center, where he helps lead NASA's human spaceflight missions.

A veteran of two long-duration missions aboard the International Space Station, Lindgren has spent a total of 311 days in space.

During his missions, he shared striking images of Taiwan from orbit, offering a unique perspective on the island, the statement said.