06/05/2004 9:00 AM Kresge
Edward Michael Fincke, '89, Lieutenant Colonel, US Air Force

Description: Nothing could stop Mike Fincke (MIT '89) from joining his 15th reunion _ not even a 200-mile-high earth orbit. Fincke began a six-month stint as science officer and flight engineer on Expedition 9 to the International Space Station(ISS) in April 2004, and stole a few moments from his hectic schedule to greet fellow alumni. In addition to discussing the mission's science, which includes examining fluids in a microgravity environment, and working with tiny space satellites that might one day help astronauts perform routine maintenance, Fincke extols international collaboration on the ISS. "MIT set me up nicely to be ready for this next wave of globalization ' Our Russian, European and Japanese partners will help expand human presence in the skies, on the way to the moon and stars."

About the Speaker(s): Fincke attended MIT on an Air Force ROTC scholarship and graduated with a B.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics as well as a B.S. in Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences in 1989. After graduation, Fincke attended a summer exchange program with the Moscow Aviation Institute, where he studied Cosmonautics. He then entered the Air Force, where he served as a space systems engineer and a space test engineer. NASA selected Fincke in April 1996. He was a backup crewmember for ISS Expeditions 4 and 6. He blasted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 18, 2004, in a Soyuz rocket for ISS Expedition 9. Fincke received two USAF Commendation Medals, and a USAF Achievement Medal. He also earned an M.S. from Stanford University in Aeronautics and Astronautics and a second M.S. in Planetary Geology from the University of Houston.

Host(s): Alumni Association, Alumni Association

Tape #: 18775