NASA Astronaut Returns to Washington University Oct. 20-21

HOUSTON, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., will host NASA astronaut Robert Behnken Wed., Oct. 20 and Thurs., Oct. 21.

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Behnken's first presentation is Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. CDT during the Physics Colloquium at the University's Compton Hall, Room 245. The presentation will include the official return of a photograph of James Smith McDonnell, namesake of the McDonnell Center, which Behnken carried into space.

Behnken's second presentation, part of the Robert M. Walker Distinguished Lecture Series, is free and open to the public The presentation is Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. in the Laboratory Sciences Building, Room 300. During the presentation, Behnken will discuss his spaceflight experiences, life on the International Space Station and his current work at NASA. He will conclude by taking questions from the audience.

A Washington University alumnus, Behnken is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force.

He received a bachelor of science from Washington University in 1992 and earned both a master's and doctorate in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1993 and 1997, respectively.

Selected as a mission specialist by NASA, Behnken is a veteran of two spaceflights: STS-123 in 2008 and STS-130 in 2010. During the fall of 2008, he also trained as a mission specialist for STS-400, the rescue flight for the last Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. To date, Behnken has logged over 708 hours in space, including over 37 hours during six space walks.

To schedule an interview with Behnken, contact Brenda Cabaniss, NASA Johnson Space Center, at 281-244-8860. For more information about this event, contact Trecia Stumbaugh, Washington University, 314-935-5332.

For additional biographical information on Behnken, visit:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/behnken-rl.html

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SOURCE NASA