Robert L. Behnken
Encyclopedia
Robert Louis "Bob" Behnken (born July 28, 1970 in Creve Coeur, Missouri
) is an engineer
, U. S. Air Force officer and a NASA
astronaut
. Behnken holds a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering
and has reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
in the U.S. Air Force. Bob Behnken has logged over 1000 flight hours in 25 different aircraft. He flew on Space Shuttle
mission STS-123
as a Mission Specialist
. Bob Behnken had accumulated over 378 hours in space, including 19 hours of spacewalk time. Bob Behnken was assigned as Mission Specialist 1 for the STS-400
rescue mission. He also flew on the STS-130
space shuttle
mission.
in Maryland Heights, Missouri, and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science
degree in Mechanical Engineering
, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Washington University in 1992. In 1993, he received a Master of Science
degree in Mechanical Engineering, and a doctorate degree
in 1997 from California Institute of Technology
.
Senior, Washington University (1992); National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow (1993–1996); Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate, Eglin AFB Florida Company Grade Officer of the Year (1997); USAF Achievement Medal (1997); USAF Commendation Medal (1998); Distinguished graduate from the USAF Test Pilot School Program (1999); Recipient of the USAF Test Pilot School Colonel Ray Jones Award as the top Flight Test Engineer/Flight Test Navigator in class 98B; USAF Commendation Medal
(2000).
construction. During his first two years of graduate
study, Behnken developed and implemented real-time control algorithms and hardware for flexible robotic manipulators.
Prior to entering graduate school, Behnken was an Air Force ROTC student at Washington University in St. Louis
, and after graduate school
was assigned to enter Air Force
active duty at Eglin AFB, Florida
. While at Eglin, he worked as a technical manager and developmental engineer for new munitions systems. Behnken was next assigned to attend the Air Force Test Pilot School
Flight Test Engineer's course at Edwards AFB, California
. After graduating, he was assigned to the F-22 Combined Test Force (CTF) and remained at Edwards. While assigned to the F-22 program, Behnken was the lead flight test engineer for Raptor 4004 and a special projects test director. These responsibilities included flight test sortie
planning, control room configuration development, and test conduct. Behnken also flew in both the F-15
and F-16 aircraft
in support of the F-22 flight test program.
Behnken has over 780 flight hours in more than 25 different aircraft types.
, Florida.
In September 2006, Behnken served as an aquanaut
during the NEEMO 11 mission aboard the Aquarius
underwater laboratory
, living and working underwater for seven days.
Behnken was a crew member of the STS-123
mission that delivered the Japanese Experiment Module
and the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator to the International Space Station
in March 2008.
He also flew as a Mission Specialist on STS-130
, which launched at 04:14 EST (09:14 UTC) 8 February 2010. This mission delivered the Tranquility module and Cupola to the International Space Station
.
.
Creve Coeur, Missouri
Creve Coeur, derived from French for "heartbreak" , is a second-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in west St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The city derives its name from Creve Coeur Lake, which is shaped like a broken heart. The population was 17,833 at the 2010 census...
) is an engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
, U. S. Air Force officer and a NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
. Behnken holds a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
and has reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in the U.S. Air Force. Bob Behnken has logged over 1000 flight hours in 25 different aircraft. He flew on Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
mission STS-123
STS-123
-Mission parameters:* Mass:* Orbiter liftoff: * Orbiter landing: * Perigee: 336 kilometers * Apogee: 346 kilometers * Inclination: 51.6 degrees* Period: 91.6min-Mission payloads:...
as a Mission Specialist
Mission Specialist
A Mission Specialist is a position held by certain NASA astronauts during Space Shuttle missions. A Mission Specialist is assigned to a limited field of the mission, such as for medical experiments or technical quests....
. Bob Behnken had accumulated over 378 hours in space, including 19 hours of spacewalk time. Bob Behnken was assigned as Mission Specialist 1 for the STS-400
STS-400
- Early mission plans :Three different concept mission plans were evaluated: The first would be to use a shuttle-to-shuttle docking, where the rescue shuttle docks with the damaged shuttle, by flying upside down and backwards, relative to the damaged shuttle...
rescue mission. He also flew on the STS-130
STS-130
STS-130 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station . 's primary payloads were the Tranquility module and the Cupola, a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center, providing a 360-degree view around the station...
space shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
mission.
Education
Behnken attended Pattonville High SchoolPattonville High School
Pattonville High School is a coeducational secondary school located in Maryland Heights, Missouri, in west-central St. Louis County. As the only high school in the Pattonville School District, it enrolled 2,220 students in the 2010 school year. The school is accredited with the Missouri...
in Maryland Heights, Missouri, and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Washington University in 1992. In 1993, he received a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in Mechanical Engineering, and a doctorate degree
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in 1997 from California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
.
Awards and honors
Outstanding Mechanical EngineeringMechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
Senior, Washington University (1992); National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow (1993–1996); Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate, Eglin AFB Florida Company Grade Officer of the Year (1997); USAF Achievement Medal (1997); USAF Commendation Medal (1998); Distinguished graduate from the USAF Test Pilot School Program (1999); Recipient of the USAF Test Pilot School Colonel Ray Jones Award as the top Flight Test Engineer/Flight Test Navigator in class 98B; USAF Commendation Medal
Commendation Medal
The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. For valorous actions in direct contact with an enemy force, but of a lesser degree than required for the award of the Bronze Star, the Valor device may...
(2000).
Career
Graduate Research in Nonlinear control. Behnken's thesis research was in the area of nonlinear control applied to stabilizing rotating stall and surge in axial flow compressors. The research included nonlinear analysis, real-time software implementation development, and extensive hardwareHardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
construction. During his first two years of graduate
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
study, Behnken developed and implemented real-time control algorithms and hardware for flexible robotic manipulators.
Prior to entering graduate school, Behnken was an Air Force ROTC student at Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
, and after graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
was assigned to enter Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
active duty at Eglin AFB, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. While at Eglin, he worked as a technical manager and developmental engineer for new munitions systems. Behnken was next assigned to attend the Air Force Test Pilot School
U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School
The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School is the Air Force's very advanced flight training school that trains experimental test pilots, flight test engineers, and flight test navigators to carry out tests and evaluations of new aerospace weapon systems and also other aircraft of the U.S. Air Force...
Flight Test Engineer's course at Edwards AFB, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. After graduating, he was assigned to the F-22 Combined Test Force (CTF) and remained at Edwards. While assigned to the F-22 program, Behnken was the lead flight test engineer for Raptor 4004 and a special projects test director. These responsibilities included flight test sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
planning, control room configuration development, and test conduct. Behnken also flew in both the F-15
F-15 Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
and F-16 aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
in support of the F-22 flight test program.
Behnken has over 780 flight hours in more than 25 different aircraft types.
NASA career
Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in July 2000, Behnken reported for training in August 2000. Following the completion of 18 months of training and evaluation, he was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Shuttle Operations Branch supporting launch and landing operations at Kennedy Space CenterKennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
, Florida.
In September 2006, Behnken served as an aquanaut
Aquanaut
An Aquanaut is any individual who remains underwater, exposed to the ambient pressure, long enough to come into equilibrium with his or her breathing media. Usually this is done in an underwater habitat on the seafloor for a period equal to or greater than 24 continuous hours without returning to...
during the NEEMO 11 mission aboard the Aquarius
Aquarius (laboratory)
The NOAA Aquarius Reef Base is an underwater habitat located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, adjacent to Conch Reef. It is one of the few underwater research facilities in the world dedicated to science...
underwater laboratory
Underwater habitat
Underwater habitats are underwater structures in which people can live for extended periods and carry out most of the basic human functions of a 24-hour day, such as working, resting, eating, attending to personal hygiene, and sleeping...
, living and working underwater for seven days.
Behnken was a crew member of the STS-123
STS-123
-Mission parameters:* Mass:* Orbiter liftoff: * Orbiter landing: * Perigee: 336 kilometers * Apogee: 346 kilometers * Inclination: 51.6 degrees* Period: 91.6min-Mission payloads:...
mission that delivered the Japanese Experiment Module
Japanese Experiment Module
The Japanese Experiment Module , also known with the nickname , is a Japanese science module for the International Space Station developed by JAXA. It is the largest single ISS module. The first two pieces of the module were launched on space shuttle missions STS-123 and STS-124...
and the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator to the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
in March 2008.
He also flew as a Mission Specialist on STS-130
STS-130
STS-130 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station . 's primary payloads were the Tranquility module and the Cupola, a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center, providing a 360-degree view around the station...
, which launched at 04:14 EST (09:14 UTC) 8 February 2010. This mission delivered the Tranquility module and Cupola to the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
.
Personal life
Behnken is married to fellow astronaut K. Megan McArthurK. Megan McArthur
Katherine Megan McArthur is an American oceanographer and a NASA astronaut. She has served as a CAPCOM for both the space shuttle and space station. Megan McArthur has flown one space shuttle mission, STS-125. She is known as the last person to be hands on with the Hubble Space Telescope...
.