As a veteran of the earliest flights of the American Space Shuttle program, Mike Mullane has seen the world from a perspective that few people have ever experienced directly but that inspires a deep sense of wonder in all of us. Mullane shares his experiences with audiences both young and old in his hallmark multi-media presentation, "Stories from Space." A prolific writer and speaker since his retirement from the space program in 1990, his contributions range from the popular, fact-filled "Do Your Ears Pop in Space?" to the award winning children's book, "Liftoff! An Astronaut's Dream." Mike Mullane's informative and often humorous descriptions of the astronaut's life from a very personal point of view inspire people's sense of wonder. He invites us to hold on to our dreams, even if that's all they can ever be.
As a professional speaker, Colonel Mullane has thrilled tens of thousands of adults and a half-million children with his inspirational, motivational and humorous descriptions of the astronaut experience.
Colonel Mullane was born September 10, 1945 in Wichita Falls, Texas but spent much of his youth in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he currently resides. Upon his graduation from West Point in 1967, he was commissioned in the United States Air Force. As a Weapon Systems Operator aboard RF-4C Phantom aircraft, he completed 134 combat missions in Vietnam. He holds a Master's of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and is also a graduate of the Air Force Flight Test Engineer School at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Mullane was selected as a Mission Specialist in 1978 in the first group of Space Shuttle Astronauts. He completed three space missions and logged 356 hours in space aboard the Shuttles Discovery (STS-41D) and Atlantis (STS-27 & 36) before retiring from NASA and the Air Force in 1990.
Mullane has been inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame and is the recipient of many awards, including the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit and the NASA Space Flight Medal
Since his retirement from NASA, Colonel Mullane has written an award-winning children's book, Liftoff! An Astronaut's
Dream, and a popular space-fact book, Do Your Ears Pop In Space? Colonel Mullane’s autobiographical story, Riding Rockets, will be published by Scribner in January, 2006. Mullane has also served as a host for Inside Space, a nationally syndicated cable television program of the USA Network. His wonderfully entertaining presentations of Stories From Space have been eagerly solicited by organizations of all kinds - from Fortune 500 companies to professional associations; from societies to schools and universities.