MICHAEL A. BAKER (CAPTAIN, U.S. NAVY, RET., NASA RET)

PERSONAL DATA: Born October 27, 1953, in Memphis, Tennessee, but considers 

Lemoore, California, to be his hometown. Three children. He enjoys tennis, swimming 

and hiking. Baker retired from NASA January 2017.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Lemoore Union High School, Lemoore, California, in 

1971; received a bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering from the University 

of Texas in 1975.

ORGANIZATIONS: Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the 

Association of Space Explorers.

SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, 2 Defense 

Meritorious Service Medals, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Legion of Merit, the Navy 

Unit Commendation, 3 Meritorious Unit Commendations, the Battle "E" Award, NASA 

Distinguished Service Medal, NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, NASA Exceptional 

Service Medal, 4 NASA Space Flight Medals, 3 Navy Expeditionary Medals, the National Defense Medal, 2 Sea Service Awards, 

and the Overseas Service Award. Named 1993 Outstanding University of Texas Alumni.

EXPERIENCE: After graduation from the University of Texas, Baker completed flight training and earned his Wings of Gold at 

Naval Air Station Chase Field, Beeville, Texas, in 1977. In 1978, he was assigned to Attack Squadron 56, embarked in the USS 

Midway, homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, where he flew the A-7E Corsair II. In late 1980 he was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 

30 as the air wing landing signal officer. He attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1981 and, after graduation, was assigned 

to the Carrier Suitability Branch of the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate. While there, Baker conducted carrier suitability structural 

tests, aircraft carrier catapult and arresting gear certification tests, and automatic carrier landing system certification and 

verification tests on the various aircraft carriers of the Navy’s fleet in the A-7 aircraft. In 1983, he returned to the U.S. Naval Test 

Pilot School as an instructor. He was then assigned as the U.S. Navy exchange instructor at the Empire Test Pilots School in 

Boscombe Down, England, teaching performance, flying qualities and systems flight test techniques.

He has logged over 5,400 hours flying time in approximately 50 different types of airplanes, including tactical jets, VSTOL, multiengine transport and rotary wing aircraft, and has over 300 carrier landings to his credit.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in June 1985, Baker became an astronaut in July 1986 upon completion of a one-year 

training and evaluation program. 

Following the Challenger accident, from January 1986 to December 1987, Baker was assigned as a member of the team that was 

pursuing redesign, modification and improvements to the Shuttle Landing and Deceleration Systems, including nosewheel 

steering, brakes, tires, and drag chute, in an effort to provide greater safety margins during landing and rollout. He was then 

assigned to the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL), where he was involved in the checkout and verification of the

computer software and hardware interfaces for STS-26 (the return-to-flight mission) and subsequent flights.

Baker then served as an ascent, entry and orbit spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) for STS-27, STS-29, STS-30, STS-28, STS34, STS-33, STS-32, STS-36, STS-31, STS-38, and STS-35. In this capacity his duties included communication with the Shuttle 

crew during simulations and actual missions, as well as working procedural problems and modifications between missions. He 

served as the leader of the Astronaut Support Personnel team at the Kennedy Space Center for Shuttle Missions STS-44, STS-42 

and STS-45. From December 1992 to January 1994 he was assigned as the Flight Crew Operations Directorate Representative to 

the Space Shuttle Program Office. From March to October 1995 he served as the Director of Operations for NASA at the Gagarin 

Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. He was responsible for the coordination and implementation of mission 

operation activities in the Moscow region for the joint U.S./Russian Shuttle/Mir program.

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

January 2017

Biographical Data

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

Houston, Texas 77058
From October 1997 to August 2001 he was the Assistant Director of Johnson Space Center (JSC) for Human Space Flight 

Programs, Russia and was responsible for implementation and integration of NASA’s Human space flight programs in Russia. 

Those activities included International Space Station (ISS) training, operations, technical liaison, logistics and personnel 

administration support. He also served as the NASA JSC representative to the Russian Space Agency, Gagarin Cosmonaut 

Training Center, Star City; Mission Control Center-Moscow, Energia Rocket and Spacecraft Corporation, Krunichev State 

Scientific and Production Space Center and other Russian government agencies and manufacturers involved in the ISS 

program. 

A veteran of four space flights, Baker has logged 965 hours in space. He served as pilot on STS-43 (August 2-11, 1991) and 

STS-52 (October 22 to November 1, 1992), and was the mission commander on STS-68 (September 30 to October 11, 1994) 

and STS-81 (January 12-22, 1997).

Mike Baker was assigned as the International Space Station Program Manager for International and Crew Operations and was

responsible for the coordination of program operations, integration and flight crew training and support activities with the 

International Partners. He retired from NASA January 2017.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-43 space shuttle Atlantis launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, 

on August 2, 1991. During the flight, crew members deployed the fifth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-E), in 

addition to conducting 32 physical, material, and life science experiments, mostly relating to the Extended Duration Orbiter 

and Space Station Freedom. After 142 Earth orbits, the 9-day mission concluded with a landing on Runway 15 at the 

Kennedy Space Center on August 11, 1991. Mission duration was 213 hours, 21 minutes, 25 seconds.

STS-52 space shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 22, 1992. During the mission 

crew members deployed the Italian Laser Geodynamic Satellite (LAGEOS) that will be used to measure movement of the 

Earth’s crust, and operated the U.S. Microgravity Payload 1 (USMP-1). Additionally, the Space Vision System (SVS) 

developed by the Canadian Space Agency was tested by the Canadian payload specialist and the crew using a small target 

assembly that was released from the remote manipulator system. The SVS will be used for Space Station construction. These 

three primary payloads together with numerous other payloads operated by the crew encompassed geophysics, materials 

science, biological research and applied research for Space Station Freedom. Following 159 Earth orbits, the 10-day mission 

concluded with a landing on Runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center on November 1, 1992. Mission duration was 236 

hours, 56 minutes, 13 seconds. 

STS-68 space shuttle Endeavour launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on September 30, 1994. This flight was 

the second flight of the Space Radar Laboratory (SRL) comprised of a large radar called SIR-C/X-SAR (Shuttle Imaging 

Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar) and MAPS (Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites). As part of NASA’s 

Mission to Planet Earth, SRL was an international, multidisciplinary study of global environmental change, both natural and 

man-made. The primary objective was to radar map the surface of the Earth to help us understand the contributions of 

ecology, hydrology, geology, and oceanography to changes in our Planet’s environment. Real-time crew observations of 

environmental conditions, along with over 14,000 photographs, aided in interpretation of the radar images. This SRL mission 

was a highly successful test of technology intended for long-term environmental and geological monitoring of planet Earth. 

Following 183 Earth orbits, the eleven-day mission concluded with a landing on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, 

California, on October 11, 1994. Mission duration was 269 hours, 46 minutes, 10 seconds.

STS-81 space shuttle Atlantis launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida on January 12, 1997. STS-81 was the fifth 

in a series of joint missions between the U.S. space shuttle and the Russian Space Station Mir and the second one involving an 

exchange of U.S. astronauts. In five days of docked operations more than three tons of food, water, experiment equipment 

and samples were moved back and forth between the two spacecraft. Following 160 Earth orbits the STS-81 mission 

concluded with a landing on Kennedy Space Center’s Runway 33 ending a 3.9 million mile journey. Mission duration was 

244 hours, 56 minutes.