Edward Fincke
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Edward Michael Fincke (born March 14,1967 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American astronaut, currently aboard the International Space Station as flight engineer. He is currently married to Renita Saikia of Houston, Texas. They have one child. Fincke enjoys hiking, flying, travel, geology, astronomy, learning new languages, and reading. He is fluent in Japanese and Russian. His parents, Edward and Alma Fincke reside in Emsworth, Pennsylvania. Renita’s parents, Rupesh and Probha Saikia formerly of Assam, India reside in Houston, Texas.
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Education
Edward Fincke graduated from Sewickley Academy in 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's degree in aeronautics and astronautics as well as a bachelor's degree in Earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences. He then received a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University in 1990 and second master's degree in planetary geology from the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 2001.
Organisations
- Geological Society of America (GSA)
- British Interplanetary Society
Special honors
- Recipient of two United States Air Force Commendation Medals
- United States Air Force Achievement Medal,
- 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
Edward 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, 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 in 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 in California, Fincke joined the 39th Flight Test Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base in 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 in Japan where he was the United States Flight Test Liaison to the Japanese/United States XF-2 fighter program. Fincke as of 2005 has over 800 flight hours in more than 30 different varieties of aircraft and holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
NASA
Edward Finske was selected by the NASA in April 1996 to be an astronaut. He 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, 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. Assigned as Expedition-9 NASA Space Station science officer and flight engineer, Fincke is living and working aboard the International Space Station on a six-month tour of duty. The Expedition 9 crew launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on April 18, 2004 aboard Soyuz TMA-4 and docked with the ISS on April 21, 2004. Following a week of joint operations and handover briefings, they replaced the Expedition 8 who returned to earth aboard Soyuz.
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