Pulaski is asteroid #22880 and also known as 1999 RL224. Pulaski was discovered by the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth Object Search at the Anderson Mesa Station. Pulaski’s orbit is characterized by a revolution period of 1 363 days, a semi-major axis of 2.40 Astronomical Units, an eccentricity of 0.15, and an inclination of 7.5 degrees.

Pulaski is named after Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski of Ślepowron, a Polish nobleman and soldier, who is quite famous in the USA, but nowhere else. He lived from 1745 until 1779. Pułaski was born in Warsaw, Poland, and did early show an interest in following his father’s footsteps, who was an advocatus of the Crown Tribunal. Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski of Ślepowron began his military career in 1762. He was promoted into the rank of a colonel in 1768. He tried by political agitation and military actions to push back Russian influence in Poland. But in 1773 he was accused to have attempted to kill the Polish king. Already while he was sentenced to death, he fled first to Prussia, then to France, and finally in 1777 to North America because Marquis de Lafayette and Benjamin Franklin recruited him for the American Revolutionary War. Although Pułaski was barely able to speak English, he reformed the cavalry and had some military successes with his unit, hence he is known as “Father of the American Cavalry”. He died of a grapeshot wound, which had rivaled with his malaria as another possible cause of his death. Where Pułaski died isn’t known, but remains found in 1853 where identified as his by means of his battle wounds. Analysis of the skeleton and its DNA revealed that Pułaski was intersex and genetically female. Only an abnormal production of hormones had brought forth male appearance and identification. During his lifetime had neither he nor anybody else doubted that he was male. Although he never married and had no descendants, so was perhaps not able to. Many places in the USA are named Pulaski after Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski of Ślepowron. Some local holidays or parades are also held in his honor. Pułaski was the seventh of until now only eight people, who got the honorary U.S. citizenship. This happened in 2009, until then he was Polish only.

Pułaski’s name itself doesn’t reveal much. Pułaski simply means one who came from Puławy, a city in Poland. Its name could mean “over the pedestrian bridge”.

Because Pułaski got honored very much, so naming an asteroid after him also isn’t surprising. Then also wouldn’t be surprising if fictional characters got named after Pułaski too. Here Dr. Katherine Pulaski from Star Trek: The Next Generation comes to mind. But that she is female is only a coincidence (What I love especially in the English language is the distinction between coincidental, accidental, and random. This one is coincidental.) because Pułaski’s medical conditions still weren’t known when Star Trek: The Next Generation aired first. Pulaski is an asteroid with a military theme, but because McCoy got a Star Trek theme via a detour and the Star Trek character McCoy is a predecessor of the Star Trek character Pulaski, so I count Pulaski as an asteroid with a Star Trek theme as well. Pulaski isn’t as much as other medical doctors in Star Trek busy with counseling the captain, but is mainly a medical expert and portrayed as such. Hence I count Pulaski also as an asteroid with a medical theme. Warfare and medicine are siblings anyway. Dr. Katherine Pulaski sometimes shows that she knows the Klingon warrior traditions well. So all these themes fit together. Also the historical soldier shows by his medical conditions, including his battle wounds, a connection between medicine and warfare.

Pulaski has relevance and meaning in military contexts, then symbolizing the cavalry, or when found in relation with other Star Trek theme asteroids. Pulaski also shows where warfare and medicine go hand in hand. It isn’t likely that many asteroids get named after intersex people and Pulaski’s medical condition was already known when this asteroid got discovered. So Pulaski will also hint to intersex people and everything, which has to do with this topic.