Michael Hopkins: NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew Dragon commander
(Image credit rating: NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Col. Michael Hopkins is a NASA astronaut and U.S. Air Power colonel. He served as commander on the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon, which launched on November 15, 2020. The mission represented the principle industrial crewed spacecraft to fling to the World Residence Save. He is currently a flight engineer on the ISS for NASA’s Expedition 64, which is his 2d lengthy-duration plight mission.
For his first expedition, Expedition 37/38, Hopkins spent 166 days in plight. Finally of that point, he logged almost 13 hours of spacewalks. Hopkins grew to turn out to be the first U.S. defense power transfer in plight, as he voluntarily transferred from the U.S. Air Power to the U.S. Residence Power.
Linked: Meet Crew-1, the 4 astronauts who flew on SpaceX’s first Crew Dragon
Early years
Hopkins modified into as soon as born in Lebanon, Missouri on December 28, 1968, and grew up on a farm initiate air Richland, Missouri. After graduating from College of the Osage Excessive College in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, he attended the University of Illinois, the attach he completed a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering in 1991. He attended Stanford University to scrutinize for a Master of Science stage in aerospace engineering in 1992.
Hopkins modified into as soon as commissioned as a 2d lieutenant within the U.S. Air Power and from 1993 modified into as soon as basically basically based at Kirkland Air Power Rude in Albuquerque, Gentle Mexico, the attach he worked on plight programs technologies. Three years later, he enrolled in a U.S. Air Power Check Pilot College flight take a look at engineering route at the Edwards Air Power Rude in California. He graduated in 1997, after which he examined C-17 and C-130 plane at the 418 Flight Check Squadron.
In 1999, Hopkins modified into as soon as allotment of every other programme with the Canadian Flight Check Centre in Cold Lake, Alberta. In 2002, the George and Carol Olmsted Foundation chosen Hopkins as an Olmsted student. This design affords defense power members a two-Twelve months immersion in a single other country and custom; in 2003, following six months of language practising, Hopkins moved to Parma, Italy, the attach he studied political science at the Università degli Studi di Parma.
Upon his return to the U.S. in 2005, he served as project engineer and program supervisor within the U.S. Air Power Like a flash Capabilities Situation of job at the Pentagon. In 2008 Hopkins grew to turn out to be particular assistant to the vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Workers.
When did Michael Hopkins turn out to be an astronaut?
In 2009, Hopkins modified into as soon as chosen as allotment of NASA’s 20th astronaut class. He graduated from astronaut candidate practising in 2011. Hopkins’ first assignment in plight modified into as soon as in 2013. Alongside with Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy, Hopkins travelled to the ISS aboard the Soyuz TMA-10M spacecraft as a member of Expedition 37/38.
On that shuttle, Hopkins grew to turn out to be the principle Catholic to practice his faith in plight, taking consecrated wafers that are allotment of Catholicism’s Communion carrier with him to the ISS. “NASA has been mighty,” he urged the Nationwide Catholic Register. “They didn’t beget any reservations about me taking the Eucharist up or to practising my faith on orbit. Clearly, I’m there with a job to attain, and I really want to attain that, nonetheless there modified into as soon as no interference. There are different astronauts who are very non secular. We are practising our faith. We’re no longer restful about that.”
Finally of his time on the plight attach, Hopkins took allotment in two spacewalks, totaling 12 hours and 58 minutes, to substitute a degraded pump module. He remained in plight for 166 days, returning to Earth on March 10, 2014.
When did Michael Hopkins cruise on the SpaceX Crew Dragon?
Hopkins modified into as soon as commander on the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon, humanity’s first non-public crewed spacecraft to fling to the ISS. It launched November 15, 2020. The Crew-1 astronauts named the spacecraft “Resilience,” in recognition of the challenges that members beget faced and overcome sooner or later of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.
“I mediate sensible one of the most good things about human spaceflight and what NASA has completed this Twelve months is it’s an real news epic and it’s a narrative of bringing people collectively to carry out one thing unbelievable,” he urged Florida As of late. “I’m hoping that right here is one thing that can encourage the nation, encourage the realm and affords all people one thing to smile about.”
Hopkins is currently Flight Engineer on the World Residence Save for Expedition 64.
Extra sources
- Here’s a video of Mike Hopkins speaking about the Crew-1 mission.
- Explore SpaceX Crew-1 originate its mission to the World Residence Save in October 2020.
- Retain up to this point with Hopkins’ adventures on the ISS and attend on Earth by following his Twitter.
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