Mike Mullane Richard Michael " Mike " Mullane ( born September 10 , 1945 ) is a retired USAF officer and a former NASA astronaut , flying on three Space Shuttle missions . Personal . Mullane was born in Wichita Falls , Texas , but considers Albuquerque , New Mexico , to be his hometown . He was a Second Class Scout in the Boy Scouts of America . He graduated from St . Pius X Catholic High School , Albuquerque , New Mexico , in 1963 , then received a Bachelor of Science degree in Military Engineering from the United States Military Academy in 1967 and was awarded a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1975 . He is a member of the Air Force Association . Military career . Mullane , an Air Force Colonel , was graduated from West Point in 1967 . He completed 134 combat missions as an RF - 4C weapon system operator while stationed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base , Vietnam , from January to November 1969 . He subsequently served a 4 - year tour of duty , in England . In July 1976 , upon completing the USAF Flight Test Engineer Course at Edwards Air Force Base , California , he was assigned as a flight test weapon system operator to the 3246th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base , Florida . NASA career . Selected by NASA in January 1978 , Mullane became an astronaut in August 1979 . He flew on three Space Shuttle missions , serving as a mission specialist on the crew of STS - 41 - D in August 1984 , on STS - 27 in December 1988 , and on STS - 36 in March 1990 . On his first mission Mullane served as a Mission Specialist on the crew of STS - 41 - D which launched from Kennedy Space Center , Florida , on August 30 , 1984 . This was the maiden flight of the Orbiter " Discovery " . During this seven - day mission the crew successfully activated the OAST - 1 solar cell wing experiment , deployed three satellites , operated the CFES - III experiment , the student crystal growth experiment , and photography experiments using the IMAX motion picture camera . STS 41 - D completed 96 orbits of the Earth in 145 hours before landing at Edwards Air Force Base , California , on September 5 , 1984 . Mullane then was assigned to STS - 62 - A , the first Shuttle mission scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base , but the mission was canceled after the Space Shuttle " Challenger " disaster . After the Shuttle returned to service , he flew aboard the Orbiter " Atlantis " , on STS - 27 , which launched from Kennedy Space Center , Florida , on December 2 , 1988 . The mission carried a Department of Defense ( DOD ) payload , as well as a number of secondary payloads . After 68 orbits of the earth , the mission concluded with a dry lakebed landing on Runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base , California , on December 6 , 1988 . Mission duration was 105 hours . On his third flight , Mullane served on the crew of STS - 36 which launched from the Kennedy Space Center , Florida , on February 28 , 1990 , aboard the Space Shuttle " Atlantis " . This mission carried DOD payloads and a number of secondary payloads . After 72 orbits of the earth , the STS - 36 mission concluded with a lakebed landing at Edwards Air Force Base , California , on March 4 , 1990 . With the completion of his third flight , Mullane logged a total of 356 hours in space . He retired from NASA and the Air Force in 1990 . Missions . Mullane appeared on the U . S . television show " The Daily Show with Jon Stewart " on Monday , February 13 , 2006 to promote his book " Riding Rockets " .