Photo: NASA / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Michael Foale is, to me, the platonic ideal of the scientist-explorer. A Cambridge physicist who became a NASA astronaut, he flew six missions and remains the only NASA astronaut to log extended stays aboard both Mir and the ISS. Second Briton in space, first to spacewalk, decorated by both Britain and Russia in the same career: that crossover appeal in a Cold War-shadowed field says a lot. What I admire most is the rare pairing of intellect and nerve. Plenty of people study the stars; very few actually go up to live among them, and then keep going back.
Overview
Colin Michael Foale (; born 6 January 1957) is a British-American astrophysicist and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of six space missions, and is the only NASA astronaut to have flown extended missions aboard both Mir and the International Space Station. He was the second Briton in space and the first to perform a space walk.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Michael Foale
- Name (Japanese)
- マイケル・フォール
- Reading
- まいける・ふぉーる
- Born
- January 6, 1957 (age 69)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Rooster
- Origin
- Louth, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- astronaut / astrophysicist / physicist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Queens' College
Awards & achievements
- 2005 Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"
- Order of Friendship
- United States Astronaut Hall of Fame
- 1992 NASA Space Flight Medal
- NASA Space Flight Medal
- 1996 NASA Exceptional Service Medal
- 2001 NASA Distinguished Service Medal
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Astronaut — see all → · Astrophysicist — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.