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Mike Massimino

Mike Massimino uses humor and his unique storytelling ability to inspire audiences to identify the passion in their work, use teamwork and innovation to solve problems, provide leadership in the face of adversity, and never give up when pursuing a goal.

Mike is a former NASA Astronaut, a New York Times bestselling author, a Columbia University engineering professor, and an advisor at The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. A veteran of two space shuttle missions and four spacewalks, Mike was the first person to tweet from space, holds the team record for the most spacewalking time on a single space shuttle mission, and successfully completed the most complicated spacewalk ever attempted to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Mike persisted through three rejections over 7 years on his way to becoming an astronaut, including overcoming a medical disqualification by training his eyes and brain to see better. Mike provides insights into the commercialization of space and how advances in technology and automation have changed the space program, and will affect the future of space exploration and private spaceflight.

He had a recurring role as himself on the CBS comedy “The Big Bang Theory,” was the host for the Science Channel Series “The Planets and Beyond,” was featured in National Geographic Television’s “One Strange Rock,” is a frequent expert guest on news programs, including Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, and CNBC, and has been called the real-life astronaut who inspired George Clooney’s role in the movie “Gravity.”

Mike’s book, Spaceman: An Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe, has received rave reviews and is a New York Times best-seller. His second book, Spaceman: The True Story of a Young Boy’s Journey to Becoming an Astronaut, was published in April of 2020.

Categories: Adventure and Achievement, Astronauts and Aviation, Leadership, New to AEISpeakers, Quality Virtual Keynote, Teamwork

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Topics

One Out of a Million is Not Zero: When the odds are against you, do it anyway.

Mike’s dream of becoming an astronaut began when he was six years old watching Neil Armstrong take the first steps on the moon. The path to achieving this dream was wrought with unexpected challenges, failures, disappointments, and self-doubt. Mike was rejected three times by NASA including a medical disqualification which Mike overcame by teaching his eyes and brain to “see better.” His persistence paid off when he was selected to be an astronaut on his fourth try. Mike stresses that as long as you keep trying, no matter the obstacles, achieving your goal is possible.

The Team’s Success is Your Success: You cannot do this alone. You will succeed or fail as a team.

The culture at NASA emphasized the importance of teamwork, and put the success of the team and the mission above individual accomplishments. Strong relationships between team members were forged through the extraordinary experiences that Mike and his fellow astronauts shared during their training and spaceflights. This teamwork enabled them to successfully complete their training, overcome tragedy, build the International Space Station, and repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Mike discusses how the NASA models for teamwork and leadership can be applied to the business world and in life.

Find Another Way Around: When you think all hope is lost, it’s not.

On the final Space Shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, Mike was tasked with the most complicated spacewalk ever attempted: the in-space repair of a delicate scientific instrument. Mike made a major error during that spacewalk, but the ground control team and the astronauts in space worked together to come up with an innovative solution that saved the day and the mission. Although not every problem has an obvious solution, Mike explains how preparation, innovation and creativity can help us with overcoming unforeseen challenges.

Get Ready to Pivot: Change is a constant, be ready to adapt.

Mike’s second space flight was one of the last of the Space Shuttle Program. It was time for NASA to retire the space shuttle and move on to the next phase in space exploration, which included relying heavily on private companies and on automation. Many at NASA did not want to accept these changes. But the last few years have shown that those who accepted these changes have thrived, while those who resisted are no longer contributing. Technological progress and entrepreneurship are needed in every industry, and the NASA team learned to embrace the changes in order to move on to that next phase. Our future in space is bright because of these changes.

An Astronaut’s View of Planet Earth: We are living in a paradise, remember the big picture.

The orbit of the Hubble Space Telescope is 350 miles above the Earth, 100 miles higher than the International Space Station. From that altitude, astronauts are able to see the curvature of our planet, and spacewalking astronauts are able to take in the magnificent views through their helmet visors with a 360- degree view of the Earth and the surrounding universe. Mike describes his observations and feelings while viewing our planet, including its fragility and the importance of taking care of it.

Space: The Final Commercial Frontier: With greater access to space, possibilities are limitless.

For over 50 years, space programs were conducted exclusively by governments. NASA has long hoped to turn over some of its endeavors to private industry. We are now transitioning to programs with new opportunities for private enterprise – NASA’s partnership wth companies like Elon Musk’s Space X, along with commercial ventures such as Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Opportunities for commercialization of space seem as endless as space itself, and Mike provides insights into what we can expect.

Books

Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe

Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to find yourself strapped to a giant rocket that’s about to go from zero to 17,500 miles per hour?

Or to look back on Earth from outer space and see the surprisingly precise line between day and night? Or to stand in front of the Hubble Space Telescope, wondering if the emergency repair you’re about to make will inadvertently ruin humankind’s chance to unlock the universe’s secrets? Mike Massimino has been there, and in Spaceman he puts you inside the suit, with all the zip and buoyancy of life in microgravity.

You can purchase this book here

Spaceman (Adapted for Young Readers): The True Story of a Young Boy's Journey to Becoming an Astronaut

Spaceman (Adapted for Young Readers): The True Story of a Young Boy's Journey to Becoming an Astronaut

"The story of Mike Massimino's life growing up in a working-class family and his determination to get the education and experience that would lead to his challenging but successful rise to become a NASA astronaut"

You can purchase this book here

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