View source for Michael Fincke

{{Infobox astronaut
| name          = E. Michael Fincke
| birth_name   = Edward Michael Fincke
| image         = Edward Michael Fincke.jpg
| type          = [[NASA]] [[Astronaut]]
| nationality   = American
| status        = Active
| birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|1967|03|14}}
| death_date    =
| birth_place   = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| death_place   =
| alma_mater    = MIT, B.S. 1989<br />Stanford University, M.S. 1990<br />[[University of Houston–Clear Lake|UHLC]], M.S. 2001
| occupation    = [[Flight test engineer]]
| rank          = [[File:US-O6 insignia.svg|20px]] Colonel, USAF
| selection     = [[List of astronauts by selection#1996|1996 NASA Group 16]]
| space_time    = 381d 15h 11m
| evas          = 9
| eva_time      = 48 hours 37 minutes
| missions      = [[Soyuz TMA-4]] ([[Expedition 9]]), [[Soyuz TMA-13]] ([[Expedition 18]]),  [[STS-134]]
| insignia      = [[File:Soyuz TMA-4 Patch.png|30px]] [[File:Expedition 9 insignia.png|30px]] [[File:Soyuz-TMA-13-Mission-Patch.png|30px|Soyuz TMA-13]] [[File:ISS Expedition 18 patch.png|30px]] [[File:STS-134 patch.png|30px]]
}}

'''Edward Michael "Mike"/"Spanky" Fincke'''<ref name = spanky>
{{cite web
 | url         = http://nasawatch.com/archives/2009/01/todays-videos-iss-tour-with-spanky.html
 | last        = Cowling
 | first       = Keith
 | title       = Today's Videos: ISS Tour With Spanky
 | date        = January 25, 2009
 | work        = NASA Watch
 | publisher   = Spaceref.com
 | location    = Toronto
 | archiveurl  = http://www.webcitation.org/6CET07IrI
 | archivedate = 2012-11-17
 | deadurl     = no
}}
</ref> (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 (astronaut)|Scott Kelly]] on October 16, 2015. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but considers its suburb [[Emsworth, Pennsylvania|Emsworth]] to be his hometown. He is a United States Air Force officer and a [[NASA]] astronaut, and served two tours aboard the [[International Space Station]] as a flight engineer and commander. He flew on one [[Space Shuttle]] mission, [[STS-134]] as a Mission Specialist.  Fincke is conversant in Japanese and Russian.<ref name="bio" /> He is married to Renita Saikia, and together they have three children; son Chandra and daughters Tarali and Surya.<ref name="bio">
{{cite web
 | url        = http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/fincke.html
 | title      = Michael Fincke Biography
 | accessdate = October 12, 2008
 | publisher  = NASA
 | year       = 2008
}}
</ref>

Fincke logged just under 382 days in space, placing him second among American astronauts for the most time in space, and 20th overall. He completed nine spacewalks in Russian Orlan spacesuits and American EMUs.  His total EVA time is 48 hours and 37 minutes placing him 9th all time on the [[List of cumulative spacewalk records|list of spacewalkers]].

==Education==
Fincke graduated from Sewickley Academy in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, in 1985. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on an Air Force [[ROTC]] scholarship and graduated in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science degree  in Aeronautics and [[Astronautics]] as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in [[Earth science|Earth]], [[Atmospheric sciences|atmospheric]] and [[planetary sciences]].<ref name="bio" /> He then received a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University in 1990, and a second Master of Science degree in Planetary Geology from the [[University of Houston–Clear Lake]] in 2001.<ref name="bio" /> He also attended [[El Camino College]] in Torrance, California, where he studied Japanese and Geology.<ref name="bio" />

==Career==
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 Fighting Falcon|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 [[Mitsubishi F-2|XF-2]] fighter program. Fincke {{As of|2005|lc=on}} has over 800 flight hours in more than 30 different varieties of aircraft and holds the rank of Colonel.<ref name="bio" /> Fincke belongs to the [[Geological Society of America]] and the [[British Interplanetary Society]].<ref name="bio" />

==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.<ref name="bio" />

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#NEEMO 2: May 13–20, 2002|NEEMO 2]]) mission, living and working underwater for 7 days in May 2002.<ref name="bio" />

===Expedition 9===
[[File:Padalka Fincke ISS ultrasound.jpg|thumb|left|Gennady Padalka performs an [[ultrasound]] exam on Fincke during 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 [[Extra-vehicular activity|EVA]] time in four spacewalks.<ref name="bio" />

Fincke was the back-up Commander for [[Expedition 13]] and [[Expedition 16]].<ref name="bio" />

===Expedition 18===
[[File:Mike Fincke Expedition 18 Steelers.png|thumb|right|150px|Fincke holds a [[Terrible Towel]] to support the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]<ref>{{cite news
  | last = Malik
  | first = Tariq
  | coauthors =
  | title = Space Commander Cheers for Steelers in NFL Playoff
  | work = Space.com
  | pages =
  | publisher =
  | date = January 17, 2009
  | url = http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/090117-space-commander-steelers.html
  | accessdate =}}</ref>]]
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 flight participant]] [[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.

===STS-134===
Fincke was a [[Mission Specialist]] on [[STS-134]], which was his first 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.<ref name="bio" /> This places him 9th all time on the [[List of cumulative spacewalk records|list of spacewalkers]].

==Acting==
* Fincke was a guest star on the final episode of ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'' along with fellow astronaut [[Terry Virts]].<ref>http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/features/Astros_on_StarTrek.html</ref>
* 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.{{Citation needed|date=February 2012}}
* Fincke appeared in ''[[The Wiggles]]'' video Wiggle Around the Clock (2006), demonstrating a space suit.<ref>{{cite video |people=The Wiggles |title=Wiggle Around the Clock |medium=DVD |publisher=HIT Entertainment |location=2006}}</ref>
* Fincke voiced himself in the Season 14 ''[[Arthur (TV Series)|Arthur]]'' episode "Buster Spaces Out".<ref>{{cite web |last=Booth |first=John |url=http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/10/arthur/ |title=The 15 Geekiest Episodes of PBS’s Arthur |publisher=''Wired magazine'' |date=October 10, 2011 |accessdate=August 14, 2013}}</ref>
* Fincke also appeared in  "Man on a Mission: Richard Garriott's Road to the Stars"  a documentary based on [[Richard Garriott|Richard Garriott's]] Spaceflight as a fellow astronaut who launched to the ISS with Garriott on a Soyuz Spacecraft

==Awards and decorations==
{|
| {{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Meritorious Service ribbon|width=106}}
| Meritorious Service Medal
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=2|type=oak|name=Air Force Commendation ribbon|width=106}}
| Air Force Commendation Medal with two [[oak leaf clusters]]
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|name=Air Force Achievement ribbon|width=106}}
| Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=NasaDisRib.gif|width=106}}
| [[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]] with oak leaf cluster
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=2|type=oak|ribbon=SpaceFltRib.gif|width=106}}
| [[NASA Space Flight Medal]] with two oak leaf clusters
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|name=National Defense Service Medal ribbon|width=106}}
| National Defense Service Medal with service star
|-
| {{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Air Force Training Ribbon.svg|width=106}}
| [[Air Force Training Ribbon]]
|}
* 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 [http://www.sewickley.org/ Sewickley Academy] Distinguished Alumnus/a Award in 2005
<ref>[http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/fincke.html Fincke Biography]</ref>

==References==
{{Include-NASA}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Twitter|AstroIronMike|Michael Fincke}}

* [http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/fincke.html NASA biography]
* [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/fincke_edward.htm Spacefacts biography of Mike Fincke]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgBgmw-2U8c&feature=related International Space Station Tour (part 1 of 4)]
* [http://www.scholarsavenue.org/2008/01/23/nasa-flies-down-to-kgp-colonel-edward-michael-fincke-usaf/ Interview with The Scholars' Avenuve, IIT Kharagpur]

{{NASA Astronaut Group 16}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Sergey Aleksandrovich Volkov|Sergei Volkov]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Expedition 18|ISS Expedition Commander]] | years=October 24, 2008 to April 8, 2009}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Gennady Padalka]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Wikipedia|Michael Fincke}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fincke, Edward}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American astronauts]]
[[Category:Aquanauts]]
[[Category:Crew members of the International Space Station]]
[[Category:Commanders of the International Space Station|Fincke, Edward Michael]]
[[Category:People from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:American people of German descent]]
[[Category:Space systems engineers]]
[[Category:United States Air Force officers]]
[[Category:University of Houston–Clear Lake alumni]]
[[Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the NASA Space Flight Medal]]
[[Category:United States Air Force astronauts]]