Michael Fincke
Edward Michael "Mike" Fincke | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Flight Test Engineer |
| Space career | |
| NASA Astronaut | |
| Rank | Colonel, USAF |
Time in space | 365d 21h 32m |
| Selection | 1996 NASA Group |
| Missions | Soyuz TMA-4, Expedition 9, Soyuz TMA-13, Expedition 18 |
Mission insignia |   |
Edward Michael "Mike" Fincke (born March 14 1967 in Emsworth, Pennsylvania) is a United States Air Force officer and a NASA astronaut, who has served two tours aboard the International Space Station as a flight engineer and commander. Fincke is conversant in Japanese and Russian.[1] He is married to Renita Saikia and together, they have three children; Chandra, Tarali, and newborn Surya.[1]
Fincke has logged 365 days in space, placing him third behind Peggy Whitson and Michael Foale for the most time in space by an American astronaut. He has the record along with Gennady Padalka for the most amount of ISS based spacewalks (6)-- all in the Russian Orlan spacesuit.
Education
Fincke graduated from Sewickley Academy in Sewickley, Pennsylvania in 1985. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on an Air Force ROTC scholarship and graduated in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in aeronautics and astronautics as well as a bachelor's degree in Earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences.[1] He then received a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University in 1990 and second master's degree in planetary geology from the University of Houston–Clear Lake in 2001.[1]
Career
Fincke graduated from MIT in 1989, and immediately attended a summer exchange program with the Moscow Aviation Institute in the former Soviet Union, where he studied Cosmonautics. After graduation from Stanford University in 1990, Fincke entered the United States Air Force where he was assigned to the Air Force Space and Missiles Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base in California. There he served as a Space Systems Engineer and a Space Test Engineer. In 1994, upon completion of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards Air Force Base in California, Fincke joined the 39th Flight Test Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, where he served as a Flight Test Engineer working on a variety of flight test programs, flying the F-16 and F-15 aircraft. In January 1996, he reported to the Gifu Test Center, Gifu Air Base in Japan where he was the United States Flight Test Liaison to the Japanese/United States XF-2 fighter program. Fincke as of 2005[update] has over 800 flight hours in more than 30 different varieties of aircraft and holds the rank of Colonel.[1] Fincke belongs to the Geological Society of America and the British Interplanetary Society.[1] He also studied at El Camino College in Torrance, California
NASA career
Fincke was selected by the NASA in April 1996 to be an astronaut. He reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. Having completed two years of training and evaluation, he was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Station Operations Branch serving as an International Space Station Spacecraft Communicator (ISS CAPCOM), a member of the Crew Test Support Team in Russia and as the ISS crew procedures team lead.[1]
In July 1999, Fincke was assigned as backup crewmember for the International Space Station Expedition 4 crew. Additionally he served as a backup for the ISS Expedition 6 crew and is qualified to fly as a left-seat Flight Engineer (co-pilot) on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. He was the Commander of the second NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO 2) mission living and working underwater for 7 days in May 2002.[1]
Expedition 9
Fincke was the space station science officer and flight engineer for ISS Expedition 9 from April 18 through October 23, 2004. Expedition 9 was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan aboard the Soyuz TMA-4 spacecraft, and docked with the International Space Station on April 21, 2004. Fincke spent six-months aboard the ISS continuing ISS science operations, maintaining station systems, and performing four spacewalks. The Expedition-9 mission concluded with undocking from the station and safe landing back in Kazakhstan on October 23, 2004. Fincke completed his first mission in 187 days, 21 hours and 17 minutes, and logged a total of 15 hours, 45 minutes and 22 seconds of EVA time in four spacewalks.[1]
Fincke was the back-up Commander for Expedition 13 and Expedition 16.[1]
Expedition 18
Fincke was commander of Expedition 18. He arrived at the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz TMA-13 on October 14, 2008 with Cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov and space tourist Richard Garriott. While Richard Garriott was aboard, Fincke participated during his personal time (along with Yury Lonchakov, Gregory Chamitoff and Richard Garriott) in filming and starring in the first science-fiction movie made in space, "Apogee of Fear". On April 8, 2009 Fincke, Lonchakov and space tourist Charles Simonyi returned to Earth aboard the TMA-13.
Replacing Fincke as commander of the space station was Gennady Padalka, whom Fincke served with on Expedition 9.
Awards and honors
- Recipient of two United States Air Force Commendation Medals
- United States Air Force Achievement Medal
- Distinguished graduate from the United States Air Force ROTC, Squadron Officer School and Test Pilot School Programs.
- Recipient of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School Colonel Ray Jones Award as the top Flight Test Engineer/Flight Test Navigator in class 93B.
- Recipient of the Sewickley Academy Distinguished Alumnus/a Award in 2005
Acting
- Mike Fincke was a guest star on the final episode of Star Trek: Enterprise along with fellow astronaut Terry Virts.
- Fincke appeared in The Wiggles video Wiggle Around the Clock (2006), demonstrating a space suit.[3]
- Fincke also appeared in Apogee of Fear, a film shot in space.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j NASA (2008). "Michael Fincke Biography". NASA. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
- ^ Malik, Tariq (17 January 2009). "Space Commander Cheers for Steelers in NFL Playoff". Space.com.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ The Wiggles. Wiggle Around the Clock (DVD). 2006: HIT Entertainment.
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