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Foale, Colin Michael


British-American physicist mission specialist astronaut 1987-2013. Flew in space six times. Appointed Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Operations in 2004. 373 cumulative days in space.

Status: Inactive; Active 1987-2013. Born: 1957-01-06. Spaceflights: 6 . Total time in space: 373.76 days. Birth Place: England.

Awarded a CBE in the Queen's New Year Honors List for 2005.

Official NASA Biography as of June 2016: C. MICHAEL FOALE (PH.D., CBE) NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)

PERSONAL DATA: Born January 6, 1957, in Louth, England, but considers Cambridge, England, to be his hometown. Married to the former Rhonda R. Butler of Louisville, Kentucky. They have two children. He enjoys many outdoor activities, particularly cross country skiing, hiking, wind surfing, private flying, and soaring. He enjoys exploring physics, writing software, and working to implement Green Technologies, particularly in aerospace. He is passionate about promoting space travel and inspiring excitement for it, and is a keen consultant for endeavors that get humans off the planet.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Kings School, Canterbury, in 1975. He attended the University of Cambridge, Queens' College, received a Bachelor of Arts in Physics, Natural Sciences Tripos, with 1st class honors, in 1978. While at the Cavendish Laboratories, he completed his Doctorate in Laboratory Astrophysics in 1982. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS) and Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP). In 2005, Foale was awarded Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE).

EXPERIENCE: While a postgraduate at Cambridge University, Foale participated in the organization and execution of scientific scuba diving projects. Pursuing a career in the U.S. Space Program, Foale moved to Houston, Texas, to work on space shuttle navigation at McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Corporation. In June 1983, Foale joined the NASA Johnson Space Center. As a payload officer in the Mission Control Center, he was responsible for payload operations of commercial satellites deployed on space shuttle missions STS-51G, 51-I, 61-B and 61-C.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected as an astronaut candidate in June 1987. Before his first spaceflight he tested shuttle flight software in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Lab simulator. In preparation for a long-duration flight on the Russian Space Station Mir, Foale trained at the Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. Foale also served as Chief of the Astronaut Office Expedition Corps, Assistant Director (Technical) of the Johnson Space Center, and Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Operations, NASA Headquarters. His most recent assignment at JSC was as Chief of the Soyuz Branch, Astronaut Office, supporting Soyuz and International Space Station operations, and space suit development. In 2013, Foale retired from NASA to develop an electric aircraft, with a goal to reduce the cost of flying by 90 percent, as part of his passion for Green Aviation. He is currently an advisor for the Inspiration Mars Foundation.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: Foale participated as a crew member on six space missions. STS-45 (March 24 to April 2, 1992) was the first of the ATLAS series of missions to study the atmosphere and solar interactions. STS-56 (April 9 to April 17, 1993) carried ATLAS-2 and the SPARTAN retrievable satellite that made observations of the solar corona. STS-63 (February 2 to February 11, 1995) was the first rendezvous with the Russian Space Station Mir. During STS-63, Dr. Foale made his first space walk (EVA) with Bernard Harris for 4 hours, 39 minutes, evaluating extremely cold spacesuit conditions, and exploring mass handling of the 2800-pound Spartan satellite. His next flight was aboard the Russian Space Station Mir, launched on STS-84 on May 15, 1997 to join the Mir 23 crew. Initially, Foale conducted science experiments, but then helped reestablish the Mir after it was degraded by a collision and depressurization. He conducted a 6-hour EVA in the Russian Orlan spacesuit with Anatoli Soloviev to inspect damage to the station's Spektr module caused by a collision of a Progress resupply ship. Foale returned to Earth on STS-86, October 6, 1997, having spent 145 days in space. From December 19 to December 27, 1999 he flew on STS-103, an 8-day mission, to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. During an 8-hour and 10-minute EVA, Foale and Claude Nicollier replaced the telescope's main computer and Fine Guidance Sensor. On October 18, 2003, Foale launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on Soyuz TMA-3 and docked with the station on October 20, 2003, where he and Alexander Kalerie stayed until April 29, 2004, and conducted one 3 hour, 55 minute EVA in an Orlan space suit. Foale served as Expedition 8 Commander. The mission duration was 194 days, 18 hours and 35 minutes. Dr. Foale has logged more than 374 days in space including four space walks totaling 22 hours and 44 minutes.

AUGUST 2013

NASA Official Biography

NAME: C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.)

NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA:

Born January 6, 1957, in Louth, England, but considers Cambridge, England, to be his hometown. Married to the former Rhonda R. Butler of Louisville, Kentucky. They have two children. He enjoys many outdoor activities, particularly wind surfing. Private flying, soaring, and project scuba diving have been his other major sporting interests. He also enjoys exploring theoretical physics and writing children's software on a personal computer. His parents, Colin and Mary Foale, reside in Cambridge, England. Her parents, Reed & Dorothy Butler, reside in Louisville, Kentucky.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from Kings School, Canterbury, in 1975. He attended the University of Cambridge, Queens' College, receiving a bachelor of arts degree in Physics, National Sciences Tripos, with 1st class honors, in 1978. While at Queens' College, he completed his doctorate in Laboratory Astrophysics at Cambridge University in 1982.

ORGANIZATIONS:

Member of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, England, and Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association.

EXPERIENCE:

While a postgraduate at Cambridge University, Foale participated in the organization and execution of scientific scuba diving projects. With the cooperation of the Greek government, he participated as both a member of one expedition and the leader of another, surveying underwater antiquities in Greece. In the fall of 1981, he dove on the 1543 ocean galleon, "The Mary Rose," as a volunteer diver, learning excavation and survey techniques in very low visibility conditions. Pursuing a career in the U.S. Space Program, Foale moved to Houston, Texas, to work on Space Shuttle navigation problems at McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Corporation. In June 1983, Foale joined NASA Johnson Space Center in the payload operations area of the Mission Operations Directorate. In his capacity as payload officer in the Mission Control Center, he was responsible for payload operations on Space Shuttle missions STS-51G, 51-I, 61-B and 61-C.

NASA EXPERIENCE:

Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in June 1987, Foale completed a one-year training and evaluation program in August 1988. Before his first flight he flew the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL) simulator to provide verification and testing of the Shuttle flight software, and later developed crew rescue and integrated operations for International Space Station Alpha. He has served as Deputy Chief of the Mission Development Branch in the Astronaut Office, and Head of the Astronaut Office Science Support Group. He trained at the Cosmonaut Training Center, Star City, Russia, in preparation for a long duration flight on the Russian Space Station Mir. He launched aboard Space Shuttle Atlantic on May 15, 1997. He is scheduled to return from Mir on STS-86 in September 1997.

A veteran of three space flights, Foale has logged more than 634 hours in space. He flew as a mission specialist on STS-45 (March 24 to April 2, 1992) the first of the ATLAS series of missions to address the atmosphere and its interaction with the Sun, and again as a mission specialist on STS-56, carrying ATLAS-2, and the SPARTAN retrievable satellite which made observations of the solar corona. Most recently, he served as a mission specialist on STS-63 (February 2-11, 1995), the first rendezvous with the Russian Space Station, Mir. During the flight he made a space walk (extravehicular activity) for 4 hours, 39 minutes, evaluating the effects of extremely cold conditions on his spacesuit, as well as moving the 2800-pound Spartan satellite as part of a mass handling experiment.

MAY 1997

Characteristics

Total EVA Time: 0.95 days. Number of EVAs: 4. Degree: PhD. Marital Status: Married. Children: Two children. Childhood: Grew up in Cambridge, England.. Education: Cambridge.


More at: Foale.


Family: Astronaut. Country: UK, USA. Spacecraft: ISS, Mir. Flights: STS-45, STS-56, STS-63, STS-81 Mir NASA-3, STS-84 Mir NASA-4, STS-86, STS-86 Mir NASA-5, STS-103, Soyuz TMA-2, Soyuz TMA-3. Projects: STS. Bibliography: 12, 5393.



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