Astronaut

Robert Behnken grew up in St. Louis County and graduated from Pattonville High School in 1988. He attended college at Washington University in St. Louis where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering and physics in 1992. He later attained advanced degrees, including a PhD at California Institute of Technology.

He was selected to be a part of NASA Astronaut Group 18 and began training in 2000. His first mission to space was STS-123 in 2008. He took part in a second shuttle mission in 2010 as a part of STS-130. In 2020, Behnken took part in the first SpaceX Crew Dragon that docked with the International Space Station.