Astronauts and Dissertations

On June 3, 1965 , Gemini 4 was launched. Astronaut Ed White completed the first American space walk during this mission. And then, he went on to get his doctorate!…

Gemini 4 was NASA’s first multi-day space flight. Ed White became the first American to “walk” in space. He was among the first astronauts to be killed in action during the launch pad fire on Apollo 1.

But, before that, Ed became a doctor, too

“Ed’s a real hard driver. I don’t care what kind of job you give Ed, he’s going to get it done; he’s going to get it finished.”
— Gus Grissom

By all accounts Ed White was a goal-oriented, results-focused individual. How is it that people like this are always managing the get things done when other people are struggling?

When you ask them, they often say things like, ”I just figured out what needed to be done. Then, I did those things.” — It really is that simple!

Completing your dissertation isn’t complicated. You just need to get organized and get ready to put in some hard work. There is no magic bullet. Once you accomplish this, maybe people will call you a “hard driver” also.

“I can hardly get used to people calling me ‘Colonel’. I know in a million years I’ll never get used to people calling me ‘Doctor’.”
— Ed White, on receiving his honorary doctorate

Ed White was a humble, hard-working person, just like many of you. If he had lived long enough, maybe he would have gotten used to his honorifics. How about you? Are you looking forward to being called “Doctor”? You should be! Once you get there you’ll have put in the work, and you’ll deserve it!

Struggling to get focused on your dissertation? Click here to schedule a quick, 15-minute chat with me to see if you’re a good candidate for our Fast Track Your Dissertation Coaching Program. If you are, then I’ll invite you to join the fastest group of dissertation students out there and help you to reach graduation a good year or two faster than you would on your own.