Colonel Mike Mullane

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 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 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?" His memoir, "Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut," has been reviewed in the New York Times and on the Jon Stewart Daily Show. It has also been featured on Barnes and Noble’s 2010 recommended summer reading list.

Mullane has held a lifelong passion for mountain climbing. Since age 60 he has summited Africa’s highest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro, as well as Mt. Rainier in Washington State and forty of Colorado’s 14,000 ft. peaks.

Colonel Mullane has established himself as an acclaimed professional speaker on the topics of teamwork, leadership, and safety. He has educated, entertained, inspired, and thrilled tens of thousands of people from every walk of business and government with his incredibly unique programs.