Edward Michael "Mike" Fincke (born March 14, 1967) is an American astronaut who formerly held the American record for the most time in space (381.6 days). His record was broken by Scott Kelly on October 16, 2015.
Fincke logged just under 382 days in space, placing him sixth among American astronauts for the most time in space, and 40th overall. He completed nine spacewalks in Russian Orlan spacesuits and American EMUs. His total EVA time is 48 hours and 37 minutes, placing him 14th all time on the list of spacewalkers.
Immediately after graduating from MIT in 1989, Fincke attended a summer exchange program with the Moscow Aviation Institute in the former Soviet Union, now Russia, 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 U.S. 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. By 2005, Fincke had accumulated over 800 flight hours in more than 30 different varieties of aircraft and held the rank of colonel.[2] Fincke belongs to the Geological Society of America and the British Interplanetary Society.[2]
NASA career
Fincke was selected by 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.[2]
In July 1999, Fincke was assigned as backup crewmember for the International Space StationExpedition 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.[2]
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.[2]
Replacing Fincke as commander of the space station was Gennady Padalka, whom Fincke served with on Expedition 9.
STS-134
Fincke was a mission specialist on STS-134, which was his first and only flight on a Space Shuttle. Fincke made three spacewalks during the mission. He has completed 26 hours and 12 minutes of spacewalking time, bringing his total EVA time to 48 hours and 37 minutes.[2] This places him 11th all time on the list of spacewalkers.
Commercial Crew Program
On January 22, 2019, NASA announced that Fincke would fly on Boeing CST-100 Starliner’s Crew Flight Test, scheduled at the time for 2022. The Starliner’s Crew Flight Test would be the first time that the new spacecraft, which was developed and built by Boeing as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, would be launched into space with humans on board. Fincke took the place of astronaut Eric Boe, who was originally assigned to the mission in August 2018 but became unable to fly due to medical reasons. Boe replaced Fincke as the assistant to the chief for commercial crew in the astronaut office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.[5] On April 18, 2022, NASA said that it had not finalized which of the cadre of Starliner astronauts, including Barry Wilmore, Fincke, and Sunita Williams, would actually fly on the CFT mission or the first operational Starliner mission.[6] On June 16, 2022, NASA confirmed that CFT would be a two-person flight test, consisting of Wilmore and Williams. Fincke trained as the backup spacecraft test pilot and remained eligible for assignment to a future mission.[7] On September 30, 2022, NASA announced that Fincke would fly as the pilot on the Starliner's first operational mission, Boeing Starliner-1 (PCM-1).[8]
He was also featured in the Star Trek: First Contact Blu-ray special features, talking about what it is like to work in space and how Star Trek influences people to believe in the magic of space travel.[10]
Fincke appeared in The Wiggles video Wiggle Around the Clock (2006), demonstrating a space suit.[11]
Fincke voiced himself in the Season 14 Arthur episode "Buster Spaces Out".[12]
Fincke also appeared in Man on a Mission: Richard Garriott's Road to the Stars, a documentary based on Richard Garriott's Spaceflight as a fellow astronaut who launched to the ISS with Garriott on a Soyuz Spacecraft