From engineering to NASA astronaut
Mike Massimino has built a remarkable career spanning engineering, academia and human spaceflight. He received a BS from Columbia University before continuing his education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned MS degrees in mechanical engineering and in technology and policy, as well as a PhD in mechanical engineering.
Before becoming an astronaut, Mike worked as an engineer at IBM, NASA and McDonnell Douglas Aerospace and held academic appointments at Rice University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. In 1996, he was selected as an astronaut by NASA.
Mike went on to become a veteran of two space flights, flying on the fourth and fifth Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions in 2002 and 2009. He performed critical spacewalks during these missions and holds a team record for the number of hours spacewalking during a single Space Shuttle mission. He also made communications history as the first person to tweet from space.
During his NASA career, Mike received two NASA Space Flight Medals and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. His honors also include the American Astronautical Society’s Flight Achievement Award and the Star of Italian Solidarity.
Mike Massimino beyond space
Since his astronaut career, Mike Massimino has become one of the most recognizable communicators of the human side of space exploration. Through television, science programming and live appearances, he has developed a distinctive ability to make highly technical subjects accessible, entertaining and relevant to broad audiences.
Mike appeared as himself six times in a recurring role on the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory. He has hosted Science Channel’s The Planets, The Planets and Beyond and the special Great American Eclipse, and appeared in National Geographic Channel’s One Strange Rock.
His television appearances also include NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, Late Show with David Letterman and Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. He has also appeared on StarTalk radio and television programs.
This extensive media experience complements Mike’s background as an astronaut and engineer, allowing him to tell extraordinary stories from space with clarity, warmth and humor.
Books & recognition
Mike is the author of Spaceman: An Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe, a New York Times bestseller chronicling his journey from childhood dreams to becoming a NASA astronaut. A young adult version, Spaceman: The True Story of a Young Boy’s Journey to Becoming an Astronaut, was published in 2020.
In 2023, he published Moonshot: A NASA Astronaut’s Guide to Achieving the Impossible. Drawing on lessons from NASA and beyond, the book explores how people can pursue ambitious goals, overcome setbacks and perform when the stakes are high.
Mike’s achievements in communication, service and space exploration have earned him numerous honors. He received the 2017 Christopher Award, the 2017 Columbia University Community Impact Outstanding Community Service Award and the 2017 National Space Club Communications Award. In 2018, he was inducted into the Long Island Air and Space Hall of Fame. The street where he grew up in Franklin Square, Long Island, has also been renamed “Mike Massimino Street.”
Columbia University & the Intrepid Museum
Mike continues to contribute to engineering education and public engagement with space exploration.
He is a professor at Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, where he brings his experience in engineering, research and human spaceflight into the academic environment.
He also serves as Senior Adviser for Space Programs at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City, contributing his expertise to programs focused on space, science and exploration.
2 Funny Astronauts podcast
Mike joins his friend and fellow former astronaut Garrett Reisman for 2 Funny Astronauts, a podcast that takes listeners behind the scenes of life as an astronaut. Their conversations explore the strange, surprising and often hilarious realities of training for and traveling to space.
The podcast showcases the humor that has become an important part of Mike’s storytelling, turning experiences few people will ever have into stories audiences can immediately relate to.
Book Mike Massimino for your event
Book Mike Massimino for an event to give your audience a rare firsthand perspective on performing under pressure, overcoming setbacks and working together when failure is not an option.
Mike can draw on:
- Two NASA space flights and the 2002 and 2009 Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions.
- Record-setting team experience performing spacewalks during a Space Shuttle mission.
- A career spanning engineering, NASA, academia, television and science communication.
- His work as a professor at Columbia University and Senior Adviser for Space Programs at the Intrepid Museum.
- Lessons and stories explored in his bestselling books, including Spaceman and Moonshot.
Drawing on these experiences, Mike explores themes including teamwork, perseverance, leadership, problem-solving and pursuing ambitious goals. His keynotes combine practical insights with humor and unforgettable stories from astronaut training, spacewalking and life at NASA.
Whether speaking to business leaders, teams, students or large conference audiences, Mike Massimino brings the extraordinary world of human spaceflight down to earth, showing audiences what it takes to keep moving forward when plans change, pressure rises and the goal seems almost impossible.
