Bernard Harris, M.D.

Bernard Harris, M.D. (I ’85), was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in May 2025. A veteran astronaut for over 30 years, Dr. Harris’s achievements have left a lasting mark on space exploration, medical science and education. Dr. Harris served the space program in various roles, including research scientist, flight surgeon, astronaut and advisor, at NASA Ames Space Flight Center, NASA Johnson Space Center and NASA Headquarters. Throughout his NASA career, he conducted groundbreaking research on musculoskeletal physiology and space adaptation, which led to the development of in-flight medical devices that prolonged astronaut stays in space. On February 9, 1995, he made history as the first African American to perform an extra-vehicular activity (EVA), or spacewalk. Across his missions, Harris logged more than 438 hours in space and traveled over 7.2 million miles.