NASA Astronaut Edward M. Fincke
E. Michael Fincke was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1996. The Pennsylvania native is the veteran of three spaceflights: Expedition 9 in 2004, Expedition 18 in 2009, and STS-134 in 2011. He flew to the space station for the fourth time on August 1, 2025, with the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission where he served as a pilot. While aboard the space station, Fincke served as an Expedition 73/74 flight engineer and commander.
Quick Facts
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.
Fincke was the commander of the second NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO 2) mission, living and working underwater for 7 days in May of 2002, and was on the CAVES 2012 crew, living underground and exploring for six days, sponsored by the European Space Agency in September 2012.
The Pennsylvania native is the veteran of three spaceflights, Expedition 9 in 2004, Expedition 18 in 2009, and STS-134 in 2011.
Biography
Michael Fincke
Learn more about astronaut Michael Fincke, including his flight experience, hobbies, education, background and more.
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