Dr. Linnehan graduated from the University of New Hampshire in Animal Sciences (B.S.) with a minor in Microbiology. He received the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from The Ohio State University in 1985 and has been awarded several Honorary Doctorate degrees. After initially entering private veterinary practice, Dr. Linnehan was later commissioned as a Captain in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps and served as chief clinical veterinarian for the U.S. Navy’s Marine Mammal Program.
Selected by NASA in March 1992, Dr. Linnehan first flew as a mission specialist in 1996 on STS-78, the Life Sciences and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS) mission. In 1998, he served as the payload commander on the STS-90 Neurolab mission. In 2002, he was a member of the 4-man EVA crew on STS-109. In 2008, he was lead EVA crewmember on STS-123 to the International Space Station. A veteran of four space flights, Dr. Linnehan has logged over 58 days in space, including 6 EVAs (spacewalks) totaling 42 hours and 11 minutes.
Dr. Linnehan has received several awards for his work including the Navy Group Achievement Award, the Navy Commendation Medal, four NASA Space Flight Medals, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the AVMA President’s Award, The OSU College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Award, and The University of New Hampshire Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni Awards.