{"id":11855,"date":"2026-08-12T16:03:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T16:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rdgundem.com\/nasa-astronaut-mike-fincke-leaves-nasa-career-includes-4-spaceflights\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T16:03:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T16:03:05","slug":"nasa-astronaut-mike-fincke-leaves-nasa-career-includes-4-spaceflights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rdgundem.com\/en\/nasa-astronaut-mike-fincke-leaves-nasa-career-includes-4-spaceflights\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA Astronaut Mike Fincke Leaves NASA, Career Includes 4 Spaceflights"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is pictured inside the International Space Station\u2019s Quest airlock prior to the start of the third spacewalk for the STS-134 mission. <\/div>\n
Credit: NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is departing the agency on Wednesday after 30 years of service. Throughout his career, he flew four missions, spent 549 days in space, and completed nine spacewalks in support of the International Space Station.<\/p>\n

\u201cFew people have had the opportunity to shape as many chapters of NASA\u2019s history as Mike Fincke,\u201d said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. \u201cOver a remarkable career, Mike served our nation as a pilot, engineer, astronaut, and mentor. From long-duration missions aboard the International Space Station to helping prepare the Artemis generation, his contributions have helped position NASA for what comes next. The success we\u2019re building on today is possible because of people like Mike, who dedicated their careers to moving our space program forward and preparing the next generation to carry the mission even further. I\u2019d like to congratulate Mike on an incredible career and thank him for his decades of service to NASA, our nation, and the countless people who had the opportunity to learn from and fly alongside him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He ranks fourth among NASA astronauts in accumulated time in space, and his spacewalks total 48 hours and 37 minutes. Most recently, Fincke piloted NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew\u201111 mission, which launched in August 2025 and returned in January. During the mission, he served as a flight engineer for International Space Station Expedition 73 and commander of Expedition 74.<\/p>\n

Fincke joined NASA\u2019s 16th astronaut class in 1996 and first flew to space in 2004 aboard Soyuz TMA\u20114 in support of the space station\u2019s Expedition 9. Serving as a science officer and flight engineer, he helped maintain station systems and performed four spacewalks. He returned to space in 2008 on Soyuz TMA\u201113 as commander of Expedition 18, preparing the space station for its transition to six\u2011person crews at the time and completing two more spacewalks.<\/p>\n

In 2011, Fincke flew on STS\u2011134, the final flight of space shuttle Endeavour. As mission specialist and robotic arm operator, he completed three spacewalks and helped deliver and install the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMike\u2019s remarkable career reflects three decades of dedication to NASA\u2019s mission and the advancement of human spaceflight,\u201d said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston. \u201cFrom his time aboard the International Space Station to his commitment to mentoring the next generation, Mike has made an immense impact across our agency. His legacy of service, mentorship, and dedication to exploration will continue to inspire the generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout his career, Fincke bridged spacecraft development, flight testing, and mission operations. Early in the International Space Station Program, he helped test and integrate several of the station\u2019s initial modules before launch. His flight experience spanned multiple generations of human spacecraft, including two missions aboard Soyuz, one aboard the space shuttle, and later piloting the SpaceX Dragon.<\/p>\n

Fincke was a foundational contributor to NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program. As chief of the Astronaut Office\u2019s Commercial Crew Branch, he worked to ensure astronaut needs, crew safety, and human spaceflight experience informed development of the nation\u2019s next generation of crewed spacecraft. He spent five years supporting Boeing\u2019s Crew Flight Test program training as a crew member and backup pilot, contributing to flight software, systems integration, integrated testing, and spacecraft interfaces.<\/p>\n

Fincke also supported station operations from the ground as a crew test support team member in Russia, a capsule communicator, or capcom, and crew procedures team lead. He helped translate complex engineering and operational requirements into clear instructions for crews working in orbit. His continuity across development, integration, mission support, and long\u2011duration flight gave him an end\u2011to\u2011end perspective on space station assembly and operation.<\/p>\n

\u201cMike approached every assignment with experience, humility, and an unwavering focus on the mission,\u201d said Scott Tingle, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson. \u201cWhether flying aboard the station, supporting crews from the ground, or helping shape the spacecraft that future crews will rely on, he consistently strengthened our team. His legacy is woven into the way we fly today.\u201d<\/p>\n

A native of Emsworth, Pennsylvania, Fincke holds bachelor\u2019s degrees in aeronautics and astronautics and in Earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he also studied in the Soviet Union through an exchange program with the Moscow Aviation Institute. He earned master\u2019s degrees in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University and in planetary geology from the University of Houston, Clear Lake.<\/p>\n

Fincke is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. He served as a space systems engineer and flight test engineer at Edwards and Eglin Air Force Bases and later as the U.S. flight test liaison to the Japanese\u2011U.S. XF\u20112 fighter program at Gifu Air Base in Japan. He accumulated more than 2,000 flight hours in more than 30 aircraft types.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter exactly 30 years, I am departing NASA, but I remain deeply committed to the work of exploration.\u201d Fincke said. \u201cNASA gave me the extraordinary privilege of serving alongside remarkable people, flying and helping develop spacecraft, and contributing to the International Space Station from its earliest days through command in orbit. I am profoundly grateful to my crewmates, the teams on the ground, our international partners, and the families who make this work possible. I am excited to carry those lessons forward and help prepare the next generation of engineers, explorers, and leaders. Together, we will return humanity to the Moon, travel to Mars, journey outward to the planets and moons beyond Earth, and someday reach for the stars \u2013 all while caring for Earth, the most beautiful planet in our solar system.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about NASA\u2019s astronauts and space exploration, visit:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

-end-<\/p>\n

Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
james.j.russell@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

Anna Schneider
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

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