HOUSTON, June 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Astronaut and retired U.S. Space Force Col. Mike Hopkins has retired from NASA after a career of 14 years that included 334 days in space and five spacewalks.
Hopkins' last spaceflight was as commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station in 2020. Crew-1 was the first flight of a NASA-certified commercial human spacecraft system as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program, and the first flight of the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft "Resilience." His last day with NASA was May 1.
"I would like to express my heartfelt thank you to Mike Hopkins for his dedicated years of service in advancing our mission for the benefit of all humanity," said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "Mike's unwavering commitment to mission excellence will continue to inspire generations to come."
The Crew-1 mission saw the first night splashdown of a U.S. crewed spacecraft since Apollo 8's return to Earth, and, at the time, broke the record for longest spaceflight by a U.S. crewed spacecraft. Crew-1 worked on a number of experiments as part of Expedition 64 aboard the space station.
"In a time where people needed it most, Mike Hopkins showed the world that there is no limit to what humans can achieve when we all work together," said Shannon Walker, deputy chief of NASA's Astronaut Office. "As his crewmate on the Crew-1 mission, I saw his resiliency, infectious spirit of exploration, and can-do attitude firsthand, and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors."
Hopkins also served as a flight engineer on the space station's Expedition 37/38 in 2014, launching aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. During the mission, Hopkins and his crewmates oversaw the departure of the first demonstration flight of the Northrop Grumman (formerly Orbital Sciences) Cygnus resupply spacecraft and performed hundreds of hours of scientific experiments.
Over the course of his career, he conducted five spacewalks, totaling 32 hours working outside of the space station in a spacesuit to perform maintenance and upgrades to the station's exterior.
"For over 60 years, NASA has been changing the world, demonstrating that nothing is impossible when people and nations work together," Hopkins said. "For myself and my family, it has been a privilege to be a very small part of this amazing organization as it leads humanity's journey to the stars. "I have loved being an astronaut and leaving the corps was the hardest decision I've ever made. To my crewmates, fellow astronauts, and the entire NASA family, thank you for an incredible 14 years and Godspeed."
The Lebanon, Missouri, native began his NASA career in 2009 when he reported for duty alongside the other eight members of NASA's 20th astronaut class, graduating as a flight-eligible astronaut in 2011. He served in the U.S. Air Force prior to his selection and in a ceremony aboard the space station became the first astronaut to transfer his service to the Space Force. He retired from military service after 30 years at the same time as his NASA departure.
Hopkins graduated from the School of the Osage High School in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1991. He earned his master's degree in aerospace engineering from Stanford University in California in 1992.
Learn more about how NASA explores the unknown and innovates for the benefit of humanity at:
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts
SOURCE NASA
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