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Michael Massimino

  • Former NASA Astronaut, First to Tweet from Space
  • New York Times Bestselling Author
  • Media Personality
  • Professor, Columbia University

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Mike Massimino is a former NASA Astronaut, a New York Times Bestselling Author, a Columbia University Professor, a media personality, and the first person to tweet from space. He is a four-time spacewalker on two missions to the Hubble Space Telescope, including the final Hubble servicing mission which has been called the most dangerous and complex mission in space shuttle history. Mike has made numerous television appearances, including a recurring role as himself on the hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory, has hosted educational television programs, and provides expert commentary on morning shows and network and cable news programs.

He has been called the real-life astronaut who inspired George Clooney’s role in the movie Gravity. He uses humor and his unique storytelling ability to inspire audiences to identify the passion in their work, to use teamwork and innovation to solve problems, to provide leadership in the face of adversity and crisis, and to never give up when pursuing a goal. 

 

Michael Massimino headshot
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Past Hosts Include:
  • Gartner
  • DuPont Personal Protection
  • DuPont
  • Go West Creative
  • Github
  • 3M
  • Florida Chamber of Commerce
  • National Council for Air and Stream Improvement
  • Terumo Aortic
  • Dupont Safety
Rave Reviews About Michael Massimino
“
On behalf of the entire marketing leadership team THANK YOU once again for joining us for the seminar and sharing your amazing story! For our team, your talk was incredibly powerful and inspiring! We have heard so many positive comments. It gave a lot of meaning to the seminar and I know people will continue using your stories and quotes for a long time!

”
More rave reviews

"I just wanted to send a note to thank you for delivering such a great presentation. I’ve received so many messages from clients and colleagues expressing how much they enjoyed it and how inspired they were."

-Gartner

"Awesome first morning for our #CommercialXcellence summit! You know it’s going to be great when Michael Massimino kicks off your day!"

-DuPont Personal Protection

"Great session on driving Commercial Xcellence with our DuPont Water & Protection business with an amazing presentation from NASA astronaut Michael Massimino. Totally inspiring story! Thanks Mike!"

-DuPont

"Mike, thank you for the great work you did for DuPont today. We all love the opportunity to work with you and we all commented that we pick up something new each time we listen to your presentation- so thank you for that as well!"

-Go West Creative

"This was just truly amazing! Mike’s talk was truly inspiring and so motivating! Everyone loved it!"

-Github

"The session went really well! We had almost 300 people from around the world tune in live for Mike's presentation. He told a great story and wove in messages around not giving up on your dreams, teamwork, working in isolation, and a lot of others. We have received extremely good feedback from participants, unsolicited, around his story and message. I think it was a home run or a perfect lift off!"

-3M

"Thank you so much Michael Massimino for joining us! You crushed it! If you are looking for an engaging speaker with a great message… reach out to Astro Mike!"

-Florida Chamber of Commerce

"I sincerely appreciate the obvious thoughtfulness and effort to incorporate all the points we discussed the other day. I know this is going to be a big hit at the conference. I can’t think of a better message to close our meeting. Thanks for putting this together so quickly on what I know was very short notice."

-National Council for Air and Stream Improvement

"As anticipated you delivered a talk that was spot on! The comments have all been on how relevant your content was to our business. Thanks for your prep and tremendous message!"

-Terumo Aortic

"Thank You on behalf of all my DuPont colleagues who created, developed, and hosted the Emerging Leaders Conference. Your professionalism, sincerity, and heartfelt connection with our emerging leaders resonated beyond belief."

-Dupont Safety

"Mike is so inspiring, motivational, and GENUINE!!! His stories are amazing – I could listen to him all day! It was truly a hit with our audience. Please thank Mike on behalf of the entire team. I hope we get to work together on another event in the future."

-Boston-based Retirement Services organization

"“I had the pleasure of hiring Mike to be our closing guest speaker at our annual user summit in Houston. In my role over the years, I have hired countless speakers to close out large user events and I will say that Mike is one of the best that I have ever hired. Not only is he a down to earth person and easy to talk with, but the message he delivers relates to everyone. Normally when you hire an external speaker to close out an event, there is usually a good size drop-off of people who are trying to catch a flight out of town. Not in our case. I looked around the room when Mike started and it was close to being as crowded as day 1 of the event (roughly 1300 people). Also, afterwards, Mike signed his books for attendees and we estimate that 500+ were in line to get a book signed. I would HIGHLY recommend Mike to anyone who needs a closing guest speaker.”"

-Acumatica

""We have gotten an incredible amount of positive feedback about your talk, and to say you ‘delivered’ would be a complete understatement. Thank you for helping to inspire my team to be at their best with this amazing advancement for myeloma patients...for helping Janssen Oncology to DREAM BIG and GO FAR.""

-Janssen Oncology

""We can’t thank you enough for your inspiring kick off presentation. You set just the right tone for our meeting and inspired our guests to create innovative approaches to solving some of our thorniest business issues. The meeting was a rousing success and you played a big part teeing it up.""

-Zurich North America

"“OMG – he was awesome! Everyone loved him!! He stayed to sign books and I think all 300 people waited in line to have him do so. We extended lunch by 30 minutes so that everyone could have a chance to meet him, get their photos with him, and get their books signed. Mike is so genuine and so personable. He mingled with everyone before and after his talk. He is truly fabulous. We’ll certainly recommend him to other groups within UnitedHealth Group. We couldn’t have had a better motivator for our team.”"

-United Healthcare

"Mike was really great to work with and just some amazing stories and we’re bummed our clients couldn’t meet him in person, but we think this is the next best thing. Sort of like him talking to us from space. Many of his stories are very topical to what we are all going through right now including the quarantine astronauts go through before going into space and the isolation even in space being disconnected from the world. The story of teamwork with his fellow astronaut classmates was especially powerful for me—this idea that we win or lose together. A great reminder that we’re all in this together right now. And I enjoyed his story about needing to both accept change and anticipate change in the same moment. You have 30 seconds of venting, ranting, or feeling sorry for yourself—and then you move forward. Because the only constant is change. Really powerful! Please thank him for us."

-Personify Inc.

"Our leaders were inspired by your story and I believe walked away with a renewed sense of purpose and ready to focus on our new aspiration and goal. Your determination has encouraged us to think differently and be more courageous in our pursuits to impact society."

-Pfizer

"Your inspiration, passion and down-to-earth style was nothing short of spectacular."

-Commonwealth/McCann

"Mike was great. He did a fantastic job of engaging the audience with his stories and down-to-earch style (pardon the pun). He hit the mark on our key messages, but didn't beat people over the head with them. He integrated them seamlessly into his stories. I also appreciated that he hung around and chatted with a number of our colleagues after his remarks - even if it did nearly cause him to miss his flight. All told, he was a hit."

-CVS Caremark

"Mike Massimino was a great hit at our annual employee kickoff. Mike did an amazing job getting a full understanding of our company, and incorporating it in his speech. He captured the entire audience from begin to end, and he was just a perfect fit for the event."

-Imprivata
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Mike Massimino - Being Resilient in times of uncertainty | Ateraverse - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Michael Massimino
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Working with Your Team and Clients Over Distance

Mike and his fellow astronauts spent hours in simulators practicing how they would work and communicate with their support team in the Mission Control Center (MCC) while literally a world apart. He also spent years as a Capcom (Spacecraft Communicator) in MCC communicating with and supporting astron ...

Mike and his fellow astronauts spent hours in simulators practicing how they would work and communicate with their support team in the Mission Control Center (MCC) while literally a world apart. He also spent years as a Capcom (Spacecraft Communicator) in MCC communicating with and supporting astronauts in space. Critical problems arose during Mike’s final spacewalk on the Hubble Space Telescope, and even though support team members were at various locations on Earth, they were able to save the day for Mike in space. Although we are now physically separated from each other today due to COVID-19, we can strive to be the person that people can call for help. Reach out and try to be someone else’s Mission Control Center.

Dealing with Isolation

Mike’s NASA training taught him valuable lessons on how to thrive in isolation. Some tips are: try to embrace the situation; concentrate on meaningful work; keep open the lines of communication between friends, family and co-workers; be respectful of the well-being of your crewmates; keep up your se ...

Mike’s NASA training taught him valuable lessons on how to thrive in isolation. Some tips are: try to embrace the situation; concentrate on meaningful work; keep open the lines of communication between friends, family and co-workers; be respectful of the well-being of your crewmates; keep up your self-care and exercise; enjoy the beauty of our planet; and use time away from the hustle and bustle of our normal daily routines to think introspectively about our lives.

Recovering from Adversity, Tragedy, and Disappointment

Mike’s first spaceflight was on Space Shuttle Columbia. On Columbia’s next voyage, the crew and the space shuttle were lost during re-entry. It was devastating to lose seven of his friends in an instant. While grieving and consoling the families of those fallen heroes, another reality set in: what w ...

Mike’s first spaceflight was on Space Shuttle Columbia. On Columbia’s next voyage, the crew and the space shuttle were lost during re-entry. It was devastating to lose seven of his friends in an instant. While grieving and consoling the families of those fallen heroes, another reality set in: what would happen to the future of the space program? The International Space Station was not yet completed and the Hubble Space Telescope needed repair. Mike and his colleagues would not let the loss of their friends be in vain. Innovative procedures, tools, and techniques were developed to get the shuttle flying again to finish that important work. Mike shares stories of how that same effort and attitude is needed now to recover from the effects of COVID-19 on our businesses and lives.

Being Resilient and Adaptable in Times of Change and Uncertainty

Mike’s second space flight was one of the last of the Space Shuttle Program. It was time for NASA to retire the shuttle and move on to the next phase in space exploration. That next phase included flying exclusively on the Russian Soyuz for a few years, and working with commercial companies to provi ...

Mike’s second space flight was one of the last of the Space Shuttle Program. It was time for NASA to retire the shuttle and move on to the next phase in space exploration. That next phase included flying exclusively on the Russian Soyuz for a few years, and working with commercial companies to provide launch services in the future. Many at NASA did not want to accept these changes. But the last few years have shown that those who accepted these changes have thrived, while those who resisted are no longer contributing. We may not like the new world we are now living in that has forced us to change the way we do business. But by accepting change and knowing that change can provide unseen opportunities, we can still shoot for the stars.

Following Dreams, Setting Goals, and Never Giving Up

Mike’s dream of becoming an astronaut began when he was six years old watching television as Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the moon.  The path to achieving this dream was wrought with unexpected challenges, failures, disappointments, and self-doubt, but eventually Mike’s hard work, persiste ...

Mike’s dream of becoming an astronaut began when he was six years old watching television as Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the moon.  The path to achieving this dream was wrought with unexpected challenges, failures, disappointments, and self-doubt, but eventually Mike’s hard work, persistence and patience paid off with his acceptance by NASA (on his fourth try) and two missions on the Space Shuttle and four spacewalks on the Hubble Space Telescope.   Mike brings the audience along on his extraordinary journey and shows that as long as you keep trying, no matter what the obstacles, achieving your goal is possible.

Teamwork and Leadership

Upon arriving at NASA, Mike discovered he was part of an organization that put the success of the team and the mission above individual accomplishments. The teamwork, leadership skills and strong friendships they developed through their training and spaceflights enabled Mike and his colleagues to co ...

Upon arriving at NASA, Mike discovered he was part of an organization that put the success of the team and the mission above individual accomplishments. The teamwork, leadership skills and strong friendships they developed through their training and spaceflights enabled Mike and his colleagues to complete astronaut training, overcome tragedy, and repair the greatest scientific instrument in space – the Hubble Space Telescope.  Mike shows how true teamwork and leadership lead to success in professional endeavors and in life.

Innovation and Problem Solving

Mike’s second spaceflight was the final Space Shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.  On that mission Mike was tasked with the most complicated spacewalk ever attempted: the in-space repair of a delicate scientific instrument inside of the telescope.   A major miscue during that sp ...

Mike’s second spaceflight was the final Space Shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.  On that mission Mike was tasked with the most complicated spacewalk ever attempted: the in-space repair of a delicate scientific instrument inside of the telescope.   A major miscue during that spacewalk nearly led to failure.  But the ground control team and the astronaut’s in space worked together to come up with an innovative solution that saved the day and the mission.  Mike explains how although not every problem has an obvious solution, preparation and innovation can help us overcome unforeseen challenges.

An Astronaut’s View of Planet Earth

The orbit of the Hubble Space Telescope is 350 miles above the Earth, 100 miles higher than the International Space Station.  From that altitude, astronauts are able to see the curvature of our planet, and spacewalking astronauts are able to take in the magnificent views through their helmet visors ...

The orbit of the Hubble Space Telescope is 350 miles above the Earth, 100 miles higher than the International Space Station.  From that altitude, astronauts are able to see the curvature of our planet, and spacewalking astronauts are able to take in the magnificent views through their helmet visors with a 360 degree view of our planet and the surrounding universe.  Mike describes his observations and feelings while viewing our planet, including its fragility and the importance of taking care of it.

Commercial Space Travel and the Future of Spaceflight

With the recent SpaceX launch of NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, a second golden age of space exploration has begun. In the future we can expect to see more entrepreneurial companies, such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin, and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, exp ...

With the recent SpaceX launch of NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, a second golden age of space exploration has begun. In the future we can expect to see more entrepreneurial companies, such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin, and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, exploring space not only for scientific benefit but also for profit. We are transitioning from over 50 years of human space flight programs conducted exclusively by governments, to programs that provide new opportunities for private enterprise.  It is similar to air travel a century ago when airplanes were used primarily for government and military purposes, and for barnstorming.  Those early years led to today’s commercial airline industry. Just imagine what the recent accomplishments can lead to in the near future: space tourism, utilization of space resources, and science and technological developments to benefit life on Earth.

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Books by Michael Massimino
Moonshot: A NASA Astronaut’s Guide to Achieving the Impossible

Moonshot: A NASA Astronaut’s Guide to Achieving the Impossible

Spaceman (Adapted for Young Readers): The True Story of a Young Boy's Journey to Becoming an Astronaut

Spaceman (Adapted for Young Readers): The True Story of a Young Boy's Journey to Becoming an Astronaut

Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe

Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe

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Press & Media
John C. Reilly reveals Moonbase 8 started as a riff on horror classic The Thing - SyFy Wire
Mike Massimino honored with Hometown Heroes Banner
Franklin Square Civic Association over the moon for hometown astronaut - Long Island Herald
NASA Astronaut Mike Massimino Honored With Banner on Street Named For Him - LongIsland.com
A Former Astronaut Offers Work-From-Home Advice to Bankers - BankDirector.com
Astronauts used to be daredevils. Disney’s The Right Stuff shows how they changed - WIRED
11 Secrets of Astronauts - Mental Floss
As the possibility of going to space grows, U.S. astronauts still don’t know how they get picked to fly - Washington Post
Reaching for the Stars with Astronaut Michael Massimino - The Malestrom
Verge Meets: Former Astronaut Michael Massimino - Verge Magazine
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Biography

Mike Massimino is a former NASA Astronaut, a New York Times Bestselling Author, a Columbia University Professor, a media personality, and the first person to tweet from space. He is a four-time spacewalker on two missions to the Hubble Space Telescope, including the final Hubble servicing mission which has been called the most dangerous and complex mission in space shuttle history. Mike has made numerous television appearances, including a recurring role as himself on the hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory, has hosted educational television programs, and provides expert commentary on morning shows and network and cable news programs.

Mike’s book, Spaceman: An Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe, has received rave reviews and is a New York Times bestseller. Mike's new book, Spaceman: The True Story of a Young Boy’s Journey to Becoming an Astronaut, a young adult version of his previously published autobiography, was released for publication on April 7th, 2020. 

During his NASA career he received two NASA Space Flight Medals, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the American Astronautical Society’s Flight Achievement Award, and the Star of Italian Solidarity. He is a recipient of the 2017 Christopher Award, the 2017 Columbia University Community Impact Outstanding Community Service Award, the 2017 National Space Club Communications Award, and in 2018 was inducted into the Long Island Air and Space Hall of Fame. The street that Mike grew up on in Franklin Square, Long Island has been renamed “Mike Massimino Street.” He received a BS from Columbia University, and MS degrees in mechanical engineering and in technology and policy, as well as a PhD in mechanical engineering, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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