Mike Fincke. Credit: NASA

PERSONAL DATA: Born March 14, 1967 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but considers Emsworth, Pennsylvania to be his hometown. Married to the former Renita Saikia of Houston, Texas. They have one child. Lt Col Fincke enjoys hiking, flying, travel, Geology, Astronomy, learning new languages, and reading. He is conversant in Japanese and Russian. His parents, Edward and Alma Fincke reside in Emsworth, Pennsylvania. Renitašs parents, Rupesh and Probha Saikia formerly of Assam, India reside in Houston, Texas.

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 and second master of science in Physical Sciences (Planetary Geology) from the University of Houston, Clear Lake in 2001.

ORGANIZATIONS: Geological Society of America (GSA), British Interplanetary Society.

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, 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: Lt Col Mike 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, Lt Col 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, Lt Col 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.

Lt Col Fincke has over 800 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft types.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in April 1996, Lt Col Fincke 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.

In July 1999, Lt Col 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 is currently assigned to Expedition 9, scheduled for launch in April 2004, for a six-month tour of duty aboard the International Space Station. He will serve as NASA Space Station science officer and flight engineer.