Aug. 13 (UPI) — American astronaut Mike Fincke announced he was retiring Wednesday following 30 years of service and 549 days in space, ranking fourth most among NASA astronauts.
Fincke, 59, joined NASA in 1996 and first flew to space in 2004. During his career, Fincke flew four missions and completed nine spacewalks in support of the International Space Station for a total of 48 hours and 37 minutes.
“After exactly 30 years, I am departing NASA, but I remain deeply committed to the work of exploration,” Fincke said in a statement.
“NASA gave me the extraordinary privilege of serving alongside remarkable people, flying and helping develop spacecraft, and contributing to the International Space Station from its earliest days through command in orbit.”
According to NASA, the Emsworth, Pa., native was involved in spacecraft development, flight testing and mission operations, and during the early days of the ISS program he helped test and integrate several of the station’s initial modules before launch.
His flight experience spanned generations of space vehicles and he was a mission specialist and robotic arm operator on STS-134, the final flight of space shuttle Endeavour.
“Few people have had the opportunity to shape as many chapters of NASA’s history as Mike Fincke,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement.
“Over a remarkable career, Mike served our nation as a pilot, engineer, astronaut and mentor. From long-duration missions aboard the International Space Station to helping prepare the Artemis generation, his contributions have helped position NASA for what comes next.”
Fincke’s retirement comes after he identified himself as the astronaut who experienced a medical event, prompting Crew-11 to return to Earth early from the International Space Station in January. It was time NASA returned a crew early from the space station for a medical reason. Fincke has not disclosed the cause of the medical event but said he needed to return to Earth “to take advantage of advanced medical imaging not available on the space station.”
“Mike Fincke was one of the OG station guys,” Scott Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut and former classmate and colleague of Fincke, said in a statement.
“Hee was there for the whole thing. Extraordinary career. I salute you!”