HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Colin Michael Foale (; born 6 January 1957) is a British-American astrophysicist and former
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...
astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
. He is a veteran of six space missions, and is the only NASA astronaut to have flown extended missions aboard both
Mir ''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...
and the
International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest Modular design, modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos ( ...
. He was the second
Briton British people or Britons, also known colloquially as Brits, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies.: British nationality law governs mod ...
in space and the first to perform a space walk. Until 17 April 2008 he held the record for most time spent in space by a US citizen: 374 days, 11 hours, 19 minutes, and he still holds the cumulative-time-in-space record for a UK citizen.


Life and career

Foale was born in
Louth, Lincolnshire Louth () is a market town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.OS Explorer map 283:Louth and Mablethorpe: (1:25 000): Louth serves as an important town for a large rural area of eastern Lincolnshire. Visitor a ...
to a British father, Colin, and an American mother, Mary. He was raised in
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
and educated at
The King's School, Canterbury The King's School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for 13 to 18 year old pupils) in Canterbury, Kent, England. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Eton Group. It is Britain's ...
. A member of the
Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including C ...
, he studied at
Queens' College Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light sid ...
,
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
, (with
Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...
who was entertained by his ambition of going to space) receiving a first-class honours degree in natural sciences in 1978 and a
doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
in laboratory astrophysics in 1982, where his supervisor was
Alan Cook Sir Alan Hugh Cook FRS (2 December 1922 – 23 July 2004) was an English physicist who specialised in geophysics, astrophysics and particularly precision measurement. Early life and family Cook was born in Felsted, Essex in 1922. He was the el ...
. When he left university he "owned two pairs of jeans, a donkey jacket, a bicycle and a pilot's licence; which shows I had my priorities absolutely right."On the move: Michael Foale
Sunday Times - 16 September 2007
While a postgraduate student at Cambridge University, Foale participated in the organisation and execution of scientific scuba diving projects. Pursuing a career in the US Space Program, Foale moved to Houston, Texas, to work on Space Shuttle navigation problems for
McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own merger with Boeing in 1997, it ...
. 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. Born in the United Kingdom, Foale applied and was turned down twice as an astronaut candidate. After the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster in January 1986, Foale changed his application
essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...
from writing about his dreams to focusing on the realities of leadership faced by NASA, and was selected in 1987. He flew on Space Shuttle missions
STS-45 STS-45 was a 1992 NASA Space Shuttle mission using the . Its almost nine-day scientific mission was with a non-deployable payload of instruments. It was the 46th Space Shuttle mission and the 11th for ''Atlantis''. Crew Backup crew Cr ...
(1992),
STS-56 STS-56 was a NASA Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' mission to perform special experiments. The mission was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 8, 1993. Crew Mission highlights The primary payload of the flight was the A ...
(1993) and STS-63 (1995). In the last mission, he undertook a four-hour EVA. He was then selected for an extended mission aboard the Russian
Mir ''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...
space station. Launched by STS-84 and returned by
STS-86 STS-86 was a Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' mission to the Mir space station. This was the last ''Atlantis'' mission before it was taken out of service temporarily for maintenance and upgrades, including the glass cockpit. Crew Spacewalk *'' Pa ...
, Foale spent four months on Mir in 1997 during the Mir 23 and Mir 24 missions. During Mir 23, the station's
Spektr Spektr (russian: Спектр; en, Spectrum) (TKM-O, 77KSO, 11F77O) was the fifth module of the Mir Space Station. The module was designed for remote observation of Earth's environment containing atmospheric and surface research equipment. Sp ...
module was struck by a
Progress Progress is the movement towards a refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. In the context of progressivism, it refers to the proposition that advancements in technology, science, and social organization have resulted, and by extension w ...
resupply vessel. Using knowledge from his physics degree Foale made calculations of how the stars were moving past his fixed-point
thumb The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...
reference on a window, and was thus able to advise Russian ground control of how to stop the resulting roll. The two Russian cosmonauts of Mir 23,
Vasily Tsibliyev Vasily Vasiliyevich Tsibliyev (russian: Василий Василиевич Циблиев); born on February 20, 1954) is retired Russian cosmonaut and former head of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Life He was selected as a cosmona ...
and
Aleksandr Lazutkin Aleksandr Ivanovich Lazutkin (russian: Александр Иванович Лазуткин; born October 30, 1957) is a Russian cosmonaut. Life and career Lazutkin attended the Moscow Aviation Institute and received a mechanical engineering d ...
were planned to conduct an intravehicular activity (IVA) to inspect the collision damage from the interior of the space station, but this IVA was actually carried out by Mir EO-24 crew. After the Mir EO-24 crew exchange, Soyuz TM-26 with all three crew aboard was undocked, repositioned and re-docked. Foale acted as photographer during the operation. Foale and Russian cosmonaut
Anatoly Solovyev Anatoly Yakovlevich Solovyev (russian: Анатолий Яковлевич Соловьёв; alternate spelling "Solovyov") is a retired Russian and Soviet cosmonaut and pilot. Solovyev was born on January 16, 1948, in Riga, Latvia (at that time ...
also conducted a six-hour EVA in Russian Orlan spacesuits to inspect exterior damage to the Spektr module. Station damage produced significant risk to EVA suit integrity. For his efforts, he was awarded the
Yuri A. Gagarin Gold Medal Yuri may refer to: People and fictional characters Given name *Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. * Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine Ja ...
by the
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The (; FAI; en, World Air Sports Federation) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintain ...
. Subsequently, Mir's primary and backup oxygen generation systems failed, but these were successfully repaired by the crew. The station also experienced computer failures and problems orientating the solar arrays at the correct angle to the Sun. All these difficulties combined to produce what, looking back 20 years later, was arguably, the most dangerous long duration mission for a NASA astronaut. The problems encountered by Foale and his predecessor aboard Mir,
Jerry Linenger Jerry Michael Linenger (born January 16, 1955) is a retired Captain in the United States Navy Medical Corps, and a former NASA astronaut who flew on the Space Shuttle and Space Station Mir. Background Born January 16, 1955, and raised in East ...
, resulted in intense political pressure on NASA. The final decision between the termination of NASA crewing of Mir with Foale's departure, or his scheduled replacement by David Wolf was only made by NASA Administrator
Daniel Goldin Daniel Saul Goldin (born July 23, 1940) served as the 9th and longest-tenured Administrator of NASA from April 1, 1992, to November 17, 2001. He was appointed by President George H. W. Bush and also served under Presidents Bill Clinton and Geo ...
the night before the launch of
STS-86 STS-86 was a Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' mission to the Mir space station. This was the last ''Atlantis'' mission before it was taken out of service temporarily for maintenance and upgrades, including the glass cockpit. Crew Spacewalk *'' Pa ...
. In 1999, Foale was a member of Space Shuttle mission STS-103, during which he conducted an eight-hour
spacewalk Extravehicular activity (EVA) is any activity done by an astronaut in outer space outside a spacecraft. In the absence of a breathable Earthlike atmosphere, the astronaut is completely reliant on a space suit for environmental support. EVA in ...
to replace components of the
Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most vers ...
. In 2003, Foale was named commander of
International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest Modular design, modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos ( ...
Expedition 8 with cosmonaut
Aleksandr Kaleri Aleksandr "Sasha" Yuriyevich Kaleri (russian: Александр Юрьевич Калери; born in Jūrmala, Latvia on 13 May 1956) is a Russian cosmonaut and veteran of extended stays on the Mir Space Station and the International Space Statio ...
. During their six-month tour of duty on the station, Foale and Kaleri carried out a 4-hour Russian EVA in Orlan-M space suits to install experiments outside the Service Module. The EVA was cut short when significant amounts of water in Kaleri's helmet prevented further work. Expedition 8 ended on 29 April 2004. For about a year, Foale was Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Operations at NASA HQ, Washington D.C. He then supported Soyuz and ISS operations and
spacesuit A space suit or spacesuit is a garment worn to keep a human alive in the harsh environment of outer space, vacuum and temperature extremes. Space suits are often worn inside spacecraft as a safety precaution in case of loss of cabin pressure, ...
development for NASA in Houston. In August 2013 it was announced that Foale was leaving the agency after a 26-year career to work on developing an
electric aircraft An electric aircraft is an aircraft powered by electricity. Electric aircraft are seen as a way to reduce the environmental effects of aviation, providing zero emissions and quieter flights. Electricity may be supplied by a variety of methods ...
to advance green aviation technology. BBC News science-environment
Retrieved 10 August 2013
Since leaving NASA, Foale has become actively involved in the running of the International Space Schools Education Trust, especially their Mission Discovery and trips to
Star City, Russia Star City (russian: Звёздный городо́к, ''Zvyozdny gorodok''The name "Zvyozdny gorodok" literally means "starry townlet".) is a common name of an area in Zvyozdny gorodok, Moscow Oblast, Russia, which has since the 1960s been ...
, giving unique experiences to students around the world. Mission Discovery is held each year at the Guy's Campus at King's College London.


Honours

Foale was awarded an
honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad h ...
from the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside in July 2000 and an honorary
Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...
degree from the
University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...
in September 2000. He was invested as a Commander of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
in the diplomatic list of the
New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...
in December 2004. As of 2007, it is possible he has been patron to a pastoral house at the Folkestone Academy in Kent, which is also named after him. A street in Foale's birth town was named Michael Foale Lane. Foale and
Ellen Ochoa Ellen Ochoa (born May 10, 1958) is an American engineer, former astronaut and former director of the Johnson Space Center. In 1993, Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the Space Shut ...
are announced as the 2017 class of the
United States Astronaut Hall of Fame The United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, located inside the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Heroes & Legends building on Merritt Island, Florida, honors American astronauts and features the world's largest collection of their personal memora ...
.


Personal life

Married with two children, Foale and his family live in
Seabrook, Texas Seabrook is a city in Harris County in the U.S. state of Texas, with some water surface area located within Chambers County. The population was 11,952 at the 2010 U.S. census, and 14,149 in 2019. Several fish markets line the city's waterfront, ...
. He is fluent in Russian. Foale is qualified to fly fixed-wing aeroplanes, gliders, as well as helicopters. He has never owned a brand-new car, though he has always wanted one, and his hobbies include
windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...
,
gliding Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is a ...
, and
cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...
. Foale was the driver of a car in 1980 in
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...
, when a truck accidentally veered across the road and smashed into his car, killing his girlfriend and his brother. His father, Colin Foale, wrote a book in 1999 titled ''Waystation to the Stars'' about the astronaut's experiences on Mir. In his spare time, he has also worked with ISSET (International Space School Educational Trust). This involvement is through him taking up the role of the resident astronaut during many of the Mission Discovery programme operated by ISSET. At these programs, Foale shares his experiences of being in space with teenagers, while at the same time helping them learn new skills. He does this throughout the period of the time the programme runs.


References


External links


Spacefacts biography of Michael Foale
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foale, Michael 1957 births Living people Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge British emigrants to the United States British astronauts Commanders of the International Space Station Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Crew members of the International Space Station People from Louth, Lincolnshire People educated at The King's School, Canterbury United States Astronaut Hall of Fame inductees NASA civilian astronauts Space Shuttle program astronauts Spacewalkers Mir crew members