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astronautix.com Fincke
Edward Michael (Mike) Fincke Status: Active. Trained as: Astronaut. Profession: Mission Specialist. Sex: Male. Marital Status: Single. Birth Date: 14 March 1967. Birth City: Pittsburgh. Birth State: Pennsylvania. Birth Country: USA. Nationality: American. Group: 1996 NASA Group. Date Selected: 01 May 1996.

NASA Official Biography

NAME: Edward Michael "Mike" Fincke (Captain, USAF)
NASA Astronaut Candidate (Mission Specialist)

PERSONAL DATA:
Born March 14, 1967 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but considers Emsworth, Pennsylvania to be his home town. Single. He is the oldest of 9 children. Enjoys hiking, flying, travel, Geology, Astronomy, learning new languages, reading. Captain Fincke is conversant in Japanese and Russian. His parents, Edward and Alma Fincke reside in Emsworth, Pennsylvania.

EDUCATION:
Graduated from Sewickley Academy, Sewickley, Pennsylvania in 1985. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on an Air Force ROTC scholarship and graduated in 1989 with a bachelor of science in Aeronautics and Astronautics as well as a bachelor of science in Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. He then received a master of science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University in 1990.

ORGANIZATIONS:
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Society of Flight Test Engineers (SFTE) and the Geological Society of America (GSA).

SPECIAL HONORS:
Recipient of two United States Air Force Commendation Medals, the United States Air Force Achievement Medal, and various unit and service awards. Distinguished graduate from the United States Air Force ROTC and 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.

EXPERIENCE:
Captain 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. After graduation from Stanford University in 1990, Captain 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, California. There he served as a Space Systems Engineer and a Space Test Engineer. In 1994, upon completion of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards Air Force Base, California, Captain Fincke joined the 39th Flight Test Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, 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 of 1996, he reported to the Gifu Test Center, Gifu Air Base, Japan where he was the United States Flight Test Liaison to the Japanese/United States XF-2 fighter program.

Captain Fincke has over 500 flight hours in over 30 different aircraft types.

NASA EXPERIENCE:
Selected by NASA in April 1996, Captain Fincke reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996 to begin two years of training and evaluation. Successful completion of this training will qualify him for various technical assignments leading to selection as a mission specialist on a Space Shuttle flight crew.

JANUARY 1997

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