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Photo of astronaut Nyberg displayed at museum

Karen Nyberg.jpg
Vining native and former astronaut Karen Nyberg is featured in a display at the county museum in Fergus Falls. The exhibit was originally included in the county’s 150th anniversary celebration in 2018. (Tom Hintgen / Otter Tail County correspondent)

In 2008, Vining native Karen Nyberg was a space shuttle astronaut on the Discovery that was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. She and her crew docked with the international space station.

Her photo, taken in outer space, is on display at the Otter Tail County Historical Museum on the west side of Fergus Falls, on West Lincoln Avenue. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.

It was in 2013 when Nyberg joined Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin and European astronaut Luca Parmitano aboard the Soyuz and connected with the international space station. The launch took place in Kazakhstan in Central Asia.

Nyberg is married to astronaut Douglas Hurley. The couple and their son, Jack, enjoy backpacking near their home in rural Houston.

She is a graduate of Henning High School who later graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of North Dakota, Grant Forks. Nyberg was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in July 2000.

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