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| Michael Lopez-Alegria | |
|---|---|
| Name | Michael Lopez-Alegria |
| Nationality | United States |
| Birth date | 1958-05-30 |
| Birth place | Madrid, Spain |
| Rank | Captain, United States Navy |
| Selection | NASA Astronaut Group 15 |
| Missions | STS-73, STS-92, Expedition 14, Axiom Mission 1 |
Michael Lopez-Alegria is a former United States Navy officer, NASA astronaut, and commercial spaceflight commander known for long-duration International Space Station service and multiple extravehicular activities. He served on Space Shuttle missions and commanded an Expedition 14 increment, later transitioning to private missions with Axiom Space. His career links naval aviation, orbital operations, and commercial human spaceflight milestones.
Lopez-Alegria was born in Madrid and raised in Seville, later attending the United States Naval Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science; he pursued graduate studies at the Naval Postgraduate School and attended United States Naval Test Pilot School. Influences included alumni from the United States Naval Academy such as John McCain and James Stockdale, and educational contemporaries who entered programs like NASA Astronaut Group 15 and US Navy Test Pilot School cohorts. His academic path connected institutions such as the United States Naval Academy, Naval Air Systems Command, and research centers associated with NASA and European Space Agency collaborations.
He served as a naval aviator flying the Grumman F-14 Tomcat with deployments related to Carrier Air Wing operations aboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), working alongside squadrons linked to Carrier Strike Group activity. Assigned as a test pilot, he flew aircraft under Naval Air Systems Command oversight and supported programs associated with Bureau of Naval Personnel requirements. His Navy tenure included promotions to United States Navy captain and roles interfacing with units named for leaders such as Chester W. Nimitz and participating in exercises similar to those of NATO alliances and Five Eyes security partners.
Selected in NASA Astronaut Group 15, he flew on Space Shuttle missions including STS-73 and STS-92 supporting payloads from organizations like United States Microgravity Payload teams and multinational partners from Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency and European Space Agency. He later launched aboard Soyuz TMA-9 to join Expedition 14 on the International Space Station, where he served as commander during an increment that executed scientific programs from institutions such as NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and CSA. His flight operations involved coordination with mission control centers including Johnson Space Center, Mission Control Center (Moscow), and partners at European Astronaut Centre and Canadian Space Agency facilities.
During his orbital assignments he conducted experiments tied to International Space Station research racks and investigations sponsored by NASA and international laboratories such as European Space Agency projects and Japanese Experiment Module payloads. He set records for cumulative extravehicular activity time, surpassing milestones held by crewmembers from programs like Skylab, Mir, and earlier Shuttle astronauts, and worked on assembly tasks related to modules named after contributors like Zarya and Quest Joint Airlock. His spacewalks interfaced with hardware from contractors including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Sierra Nevada Corporation, and involved safety protocols developed with agencies such as Roscosmos and European Space Agency.
After departing NASA he joined Axiom Space as a leader in commercial human spaceflight, commanding missions that connected private astronaut crews with the International Space Station and later dedicated commercial modules planned for attachment to the ISS, collaborating with partners including SpaceX, Boeing, and investors from firms similar to Space Angels and Seraphim Capital. His transition mirrored trends seen in personnel from NASA and Roscosmos joining companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin to develop crewed missions and orbital outposts.
He is married and has family ties that span Spain and the United States, maintaining residences connected to communities near Houston, Texas, Naval Air Station regions, and areas frequented by astronaut corps members from Johnson Space Center and Kennedy Space Center. He has participated in public outreach with organizations such as Sierra Club and educational programs at institutions like the United States Naval Academy and Texas A&M University.
Category:American astronauts Category:United States Navy officers Category:1958 births Category:Living people