NASA astronaut Mike Fincke retires after 549 days in space

NASA announced on Wednesday that astronaut Mike Fincke is retiring after a distinguished career that has earned him the fourth‑highest cumulative time in space—549 days. Fincke flew on four Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions, spending more than 48 hours outside the capsule on extravehicular activities (EVAs). His final mission, STS‑130, helped deliver and assemble the Harmony node on the ISS, a project that required extensive EVA work.

Months before his retirement, Fincke made history by becoming the first astronaut in NASA’s annals to conduct a spacewalk in a new type of spacesuit, a milestone that underscored the agency’s ongoing efforts to improve astronaut safety and operational efficiency. Throughout his career, he also served as a flight engineer and mission specialist, contributing to scientific experiments and the maintenance of the ISS’s critical systems. His experience and expertise have been instrumental in training the next generation of astronauts.

Fincke’s retirement marks the end of a career that has