Graduated Harvard Medical School in 1994
Born in 1965, Robert Lee “Bobby” Satcher, Jr. grew up in Hampton, Virginia. He earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1994, and his BS and PhD in chemical engineering from MIT in 1986 and 1993, respectively. Dr. Satcher realized part three of his dream to become an engineer, a physician and an astronaut, in 2006.
In 2009, Astronaut Robert Satcher became the first orthopedic surgeon and first Black male physician in space during the STS-129 NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station. In his 11-day mission on the Space Shuttle Atlantis, Dr. Satcher participated in 2 spacewalks at the International Space Station, and used his surgical skills to repair two robotic arms on the space station’s exterior. He also installed an antenna to improve satellite communication and served as the crew’s medical doctor.
Dr. Robert Satcher is now an associate professor of orthopaedic oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is also working to build a cancer center in sub-Saharan Africa.