Missouri Astronaut On Life In Space

By Steve Kraske,

Mackenzie Martin, Chris Young, Danie Alexander

Published March 26, 2021 at 6:20 PM CDT

NASA astronaut and Expedition 63 Flight Engineer Bob Behnken works during a six-hour and one-minute spacewalk on July 1, 2020 to swap an aging nickel-hydrogen battery for a new lithium-ion battery on the International Space Station's Starboard-6 truss structure.

Life in space is all about the details, but as Bob Behnken can attest, when the hatch opens for a spacewalk, "All that meticulousness can go a little bit out the window because of the excitement of looking down at our earth."

Segment beginning at 1:00: Missouri native Bob Behnken pulls back the curtain on life in space.

Behnken has left his mark on America's space program from the space shuttles to SpaceX. There are the exciting moments like working on the outside of the International Space Station but then "most people don't understand just how inconvenient a lot of the little things of life are that you're so used to" like eating and dirty laundry in zero gravity.

Col. Bob Behnken, NASA astronaut, Joint Operations Commander of the SpaceX Crew Dragon

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Steve Kraske

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.

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Mackenzie Martin

As senior podcast producer for KCUR Studios and a host of A People’s History of Kansas City, I interview everyday people and dig through old newspaper articles to unearth stories of the visionaries and renegades who created this region. I focus on bringing the past to life, so we can all better understand the city we live in today. Email me at mackenzie@kcur.org.

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Chris Young

Chris Young is an Assistant Producer for KCUR’s Up To Date. Contact him at chrisy@kcur.org.

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Danie Alexander

As senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Reach me at alexanderdk@kcur.org.

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