Megan McArthur Behnken is an American oceanographer, engineer, NASA astronaut, and the last person to be hands-on with the Hubble Space Telescope via the Canadarm. Throughout her career, Megan has served as a Capsule Communicator for both the Space Shuttle and International Space Station; she has flown one Space Shuttle mission—STS-125, the final Space Shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope aboard Atlantis—and one SpaceX mission, the SpaceX Crew-2 aboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour. She has also served as the Deputy Division Chief of the NASA Astronaut Office and the Assistant Director of Flight Operations for the International Space Station. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, and received her Ph.D. in Oceanography from UC San Diego.
Megan joins me today to share her vision of the future of human spaceflight and exploration. She describes her life growing up, what sparked her interest in aviation and flight, and how the Space Shuttle Challenger accident solidified her passion for space flight at a young age. She discusses her time studying Aerospace Engineering at UCLA. She explains how knowing that someone believed in her gave her the confidence to cope with her transition from high school to university life. She describes the best part about being an astronaut and why the astronaut office values collaboration over competition. Megan also shares her thoughts on commercial space flight and underscores what young people can expect from the Artemis program.
“The astronauts we’re sending to the moon, whatever their background is—whether they’re test pilots or biologists—they’ll do lunar geology. What’s great about this job is you’re always learning new things and tackling new challenges.” - Megan McArthur Behnken
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