Michael Foale Leaving NASA
Astronaut Michael Foale Leaves NASA After 26-Year Career, NASA
“NASA astronaut Michael Foale has retired, ending a 26-year space agency career that included 375 days in space during six space shuttle missions and extended stays aboard two space stations.
Foale spent 145 days aboard the Russian space station Mir in 1997 and 194 days aboard the International Space Station as commander of Expedition 8 from October 2003 to April 2004. He also conducted four spacewalks over his NASA career totaling almost 23 hours.”
Well, enjoy your retirement (and inevitable talking head deal with BBC or Sky) Michael! For all you had to get US citizenship to fly in space due to the short-sightedness of the British government, you will be to me, be Britain’s first real spaceman!
Mr. Foale was born to an American citizen mother. My hearty congratulations to Michael for a long and illustrious career as a NASA astronaut.
I’m surprised Dr. Foale wasn’t chosen as NASA’s prime crewmember for the Year-Long ISS mission. Considering his last flight was in 2003-04, it’s reasonable to assume he may have flown one more time. Definitely one of the more iconic shuttle astronauts – like Young and Musgrave to name but a few.