2004 Fincke interview: Space dreams come trueStaff Writer 2011/05/31 | Beaver County Times
On July 20, 1969, a star-struck Edward Michael Fincke sat in his daddy's lap and watched U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong take his historic leap for mankind on the surface of the moon.
"You can do that," Edward Fincke told his 2-year-old son. (...)
https://eu.timesonline.com/story/news/2011/05/31/2004-fincke-interview-space-dreams/18401964007/Space dad celebrates birth on EarthJune 19, 2004, 1:10 AM GMT+2 / Source: The Associated Press By By Marcia Dunn
A space station astronaut's wife gives birth back on Earth— apparently marking a first for NASA.
In a photo from April 2004, NASA astronaut Michael Fincke stands alongside his wife, Renita, and holds his son, Edward Chandra, during a photo opportunity at Russia's Star City cosmonaut training complex. The astronaut now has a daughter as well, named Tarali.Sergey Ponomarev / AP fileSpace station astronaut Mike Fincke was listening in from orbit Friday when he got the good news: It’s a girl.
His wife Renita Fincke gave birth to their second child at a Houston-area hospital — just two days before Father’s Day. The astronaut was connected via a NASA-arranged radio hookup to his wife’s cell phone in the delivery room, a family friend said.
NASA officials said it was the first time to their knowledge that a U.S. astronaut was in space during the birth of his child.
The couple named the girl Tarali Paulina. Fincke proudly informed Mission Control that Tara — the first two syllables of the name — means “star” in the Indian dialect of his wife’s family. Their son, who is not quite 3, is named Chandra, which means “moon.”
“My wife had already given me the moon, now she’s given me a star,” he said.
Video link for Dad
NASA also arranged two video conferences for the family in the hours after the birth to give Fincke a chance to see his newborn, family friend Judith Hayes said.
Both baby and mom, an engineer who works at Johnson Space Center in Houston, were said to be doing well.
Mike Fincke, a 37-year-old Air Force lieutenant colonel who is two months into a six-month mission, said it was a privilege to be aboard the international space station at such a special time, but noted it was tough on his family. “But there are a lot of other service people out there that this happens to. So thanks, NASA,” he said.
“This is sure a grand adventure, and I’m really glad that we’re all sharing this together,” he said.
His wife plans to send up lots more baby pictures and videos, with NASA’s help.
Last-minute crew swaps
Fincke wasn’t supposed to fly to the space station until months from now, but his mission with Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka was bumped up because of last-minute crew swaps. The two men rocketed away from Kazakhstan in April; they will return to Earth in October.
On Friday afternoon, Fincke offered his cosmonaut partner a bubble-gum cigar “colored pink in honor of my daughter.” The bubble-gum cigars also were handed out in Mission Control.
In a NASA interview shortly before the birth of her daughter, Renita Fincke said she supported her husband all the way.
“I hope that everything is successful for his mission, that he comes home safely and that we get to enjoy many more adventures together for the rest of our lives,” she said.https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna5241502Astronaut Breaks US Spaceflight Record in OrbitHOUSTON – NASA has a new spaceflight champion and his name is Mike Fincke.May 28, 2011, 6:47 AM GMT+2 / Source: Space.com By Denise Chow, SPACE.com Staff Writer
HOUSTON – NASA has a new spaceflight champion and his name is Mike Fincke.
Fincke, an astronaut flying on the shuttle Endeavour's final mission, broke NASA's all-time record for the most time spent in space by an American late Friday (May 27) when he passed the 377-day mark, and he is raising the bar higher with every additional minute he spends in orbit.
By the time Endeavour lands on June 1, Fincke will have spent 382 days in orbit on three space missions. [ Most Extreme Human Spaceflight Records ]
NASA's previous record holder for the most days in space is the agency's chief astronaut Peggy Whitson, who spent 376 days, 17 hours and 22 minutes in orbit during two six-month missions to the International Space Station. Fincke, like Whitson, has also served two long-duration stints on the station and is now on this third trip: the 16-day mission of Endeavour's STS-134 flight.
"It's certainly an honor to get a chance to fly up in space, and especially for long periods of time," Fincke told reporters in interviews Thursday (May 26). (...)
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna43201851https://spaceflightnow.com/station/exp9/041023landing.htmlVeteran space station crew ready to flyOct. 10, 2008, 1:22 AM GMT+2 / Source: Space.com By By Clara Moskowitz
An American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut are preparing to blast off from their home planet Sunday to fly to the space station next week.(...) Expedition 18 commander Michael Fincke and flight engineer Yury Lonchakov, both veteran spaceflyers, are due to launch Oct. 12 aboard a Russian Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome spaceport in the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan. They will be joined on the journey by American space tourist Richard Garriott. (...)
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna27107116Behind the scenes: Meet the 1st astronauts to fly StarlinerMarch 28, 2024
Get to know the astronauts inside and outside of work ahead of Starliner’s crewed flight test.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore and Mike Fincke at the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility. (John Grant photo)
NASA astronaut Mike Fincke pictured with a tomato plant. He enjoys making things out of lunar regolith, or lunar soil, in his home science lab and using hydroponics, which uses water and nutrients. (Mike Fincke photo)(...) NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, retired U.S. Air Force colonel, has been on three previous spaceflights, including the second-to-last shuttle mission in 2011 and final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour. Having logged more than a year in orbit with nine spacewalks, he too set records, including the American record at that time for the most time in space.
The Pennsylvania native goes by the nickname “Spanky,” based on the character from “The Little Rascals” television show who was outspoken and a youthful leader.
Since Fincke was the youngest in his Air Force Test Pilot School class and many other call signs had been taken, his classmates gave him the nickname.
“I thought I would have outgrown it, but when I moved to NASA it turns out I was also the youngest person in astronaut class, so the name stuck,” Fincke said.
During his military experience, he was a flight-test engineer at Edwards and Eglin Air Force bases flying in F-15 and F-16 aircraft, and later was the United States flight-test liaison to the Japanese/United States XF-2 fighter program. He is conversant in Japanese and Russian, having launched aboard the Soyuz twice. He enjoys learning new languages.
Outside of NASA, Fincke enjoys spending time with his wife, Renita, and three children, and traveling. With a son and daughter in college and another teenage daughter, his free time is spent in a lot of activities ranging from sports to science fairs to scouting.
He’s been a Scout leader with his son and on Scout committees with his daughters. His son and oldest daughter are both Eagle Scouts, and the youngest is on her way. (...)
https://www.boeing.com/features/2024/03/behind-the-scenes-meet-the-1st-astronauts-to-fly-starlinerAstronaut Mike Fincke's Career Path1-On-1 With Pittsburgh Native & NASA Astronaut Michael FinckeTour the International Space Station with Commander Mike FinckeOrion Backstage: Astronaut Mike Fincke2)
https://twitter.com/AstroIronMike/status/1782711854021632450As #EarthDay2024 Day comes to a close here in Texas, we the #Starliner CFT crew, including me, the backup are just starting quarantine for a May 6th Launch. The space program is about making life on #Earth better and we are honored to play our parts. I'd like to share this photo from one of my spacewalks- this one in the Russian Orlan suit outside of our International Space Station- hoping to share the feeling that we live on the most beautiful planet in the Solar System. As the band Solar Punch sang "Third rock from the Sun and second to none". Good night Planet Earth.
https://twitter.com/amikokauderer/status/176109727762241973920-ish years later, she’s a student @TexasTech. @stationcdrkelly (her dad’s astronaut classmate) gave a talk @MuseumofTTU last night where we got to finally meet. Shared fun stories + a lot of laughs. Spanky was also our family escort for Scott’s 6-mo & yearlong space missions.
A night at the museum—a reunion of sorts—true story 🧵: I met her parents months before she was born, as I was writing a story about her unique birth story. Tarali, Hindi for ‘star’ was born while her dad ‘Spanky’
@AstroIronMike was in space. I was a baby NASA PAO at the time.
@amikokauderer Thanks for sharing our story 20 years ago “Baby Born While Dad in Space” and now “Dad and Mom Proud of Space Daughter” and even better “Scott and Mike Still Friends after 28 years!” Glad to be your friend too!
https://x.com/AstroIronMike/status/1761831007995547721https://twitter.com/AstroIronMike/status/1648798469530742787https://twitter.com/BoeingSpace/status/1629138317798244354@NASA_Astronauts Butch Wilmore, @Astro_Suni & @AstroIronMike completed the first part of their Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) for #Starliner’s upcoming Crew Flight Test.
CEIT gives crew hands-on training with the #Starliner hardware and tools they'll use on orbit.
Part 2 of the CEIT is scheduled for early March. Then, Wilmore, @Astro_Suni, & @AstroIronMike will work inside Starliner with cargo installed in the cabin.
https://twitter.com/AstroIronMike/status/1539710264265908228The @USArmy has incredible expertise and experience with vertical landings and takeoffs (not to mention hover). Thanks for sharing with @NASA as we go back to the moon! #Artemis
Today was an epic experience flying the Lakota #uh72 with my space colleague @AstroIronMike. I can say we both have great respect for all the helicopter pilots out there. #artemis preparation!
https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy/status/1527354501727866892https://twitter.com/AstroIronMike/status/1422333918066483202Hello from pad #41. Weather got better. About to head up to #Starliner and visit the pad close out team. Tomorrow’s launch is uncrewed. And we will be next!
https://x.com/AstroIronMike/status/16488041374699806752)
https://twitter.com/NASAhistory/status/1802340355443966081Happy #FathersDay to Astronaut Mike Fincke @AstroIronMike!
20 years ago this week he became the first NASA astronaut to become a dad while in space. Four months later after the completion of the six-month Expedition 9 mission, he met his new daughter in person for the first time.
Wątek: EM'M' Fincke - 14.03.1967 (Przeczytany 1575 razy)