Michael S. Hopkins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mike Hopkins
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Official portrait, 2020
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Michael Scott Hopkins
December 28, 1968 Lebanon, Missouri, U.S.
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| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Colonel, USSF |
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Time in space
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333d 12h 54m |
| Selection | NASA Group 20 (2009) |
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Total EVAs
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5 |
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Total EVA time
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32h 1m |
| Missions | Soyuz TMA-10M (Expedition 37/38) SpaceX Crew-1 (Expedition 64/65) |
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Mission insignia
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Michael Scott "Mike" Hopkins (born December 28, 1968) is a United States Space Force colonel. He used to be a NASA astronaut. Hopkins joined the NASA astronaut team in June 2009.
His first trip to space was from September 2013 to March 2014. He worked as a flight engineer on Soyuz TMA-10M for Expedition 37 and Expedition 38. He was the first person from his astronaut class to fly in space. Mike Hopkins also made history as the first astronaut to join the U.S. Space Force. He did this during a special ceremony while he was on the International Space Station. Before joining the Space Force, he served in the United States Air Force for over 27 years.
Contents
About Mike Hopkins
His Early Life and School
Michael Scott Hopkins was born on December 28, 1968, in Lebanon, Missouri. He grew up on a farm in Richland, Missouri. His family was part of the United Methodist church.
He finished high school in 1987 at the School of the Osage High School. Then, he went to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While there, he played football as a defensive back for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team. He also won a special award for being great at both sports and school. In 1991, he earned a degree in aerospace engineering. He then got a master's degree in aerospace engineering from Stanford University in 1992.
His Time in the Military
Hopkins joined the United States Air Force after college. He started as a second lieutenant in January 1992. Early in his career, he worked on advanced space systems in New Mexico.
In 1996, he went to the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. He became a flight test engineer. After that, he tested large airplanes like the C-17 and C-130. In 1999, he worked in Canada with their flight test center.
Later, he studied foreign languages and political science in Italy. In 2005, Hopkins worked at the Pentagon on special projects. Before becoming an astronaut, he was a special assistant to a high-ranking general.
His NASA Career
In 2009, NASA chose Hopkins as one of nine new astronauts. He started his training at the Johnson Space Center later that year. For two years, he learned about space station systems, spacewalks, and robotics. He also trained for flying jets and survival in tough environments. He finished his training in November 2011.
After training, Hopkins was ready for a space mission.
First Space Mission: Expedition 37/38
In February 2011, Hopkins was chosen for his first space mission. He would join Expedition 37 and Expedition 38 on the International Space Station (ISS). He trained with Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazansky.
On September 25, 2013, Hopkins and his crewmates launched aboard the Soyuz TMA-10M spacecraft. They arrived at the ISS a few hours later. They joined the Expedition 37 crew already there. This crew included Roscosmos cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, and ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano.
During their time, a special cargo ship called Cygnus visited the station for the first time. It brought supplies.
After some crew members left, Hopkins and his team became part of Expedition 38. They were joined by more astronauts, including Rick Mastracchio. This was a special time because they brought an Olympic torch to the station. It was part of the Olympic Torch Relay for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.
During Expedition 38, Hopkins did two spacewalks with Mastracchio.
- The first spacewalk lasted 5 hours and 28 minutes.
- The second spacewalk lasted 7 hours and 30 minutes.
They worked outside the station to fix and improve things. Another Cygnus cargo ship also visited the station during this time.
Hopkins and his two crewmates left the station on March 10, 2014. They landed in Kazakhstan less than five hours later. This first space trip lasted 166 days.
Second Space Mission: Expedition 64/65
In August 2018, Hopkins was chosen for another mission, SpaceX Crew-1. This was the first regular mission for SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft to the ISS. He was joined by NASA astronaut Victor Glover, NASA astronaut Shannon Walker, and JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi.
On November 15, 2020, they launched on the Crew Dragon Resilience. They arrived at the Space Station two days later, on November 17.
On December 18, 2020, Mike Hopkins made history again. He became the first astronaut to transfer from the Air Force to the Space Force. This special ceremony happened while he was floating on the International Space Station!
On January 27, 2021, Hopkins did his third spacewalk with Victor Glover. It lasted almost seven hours. They worked to upgrade a part of the station called the Columbus module. This was Glover's first spacewalk.
On February 1, 2021, Hopkins did his fourth spacewalk, again with Glover. They replaced a broken camera outside the station. They also upgraded two other cameras. This spacewalk finished a four-year project to replace the station's batteries.
The Crew-1 mission ended on May 2, 2021. They splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico after 167 days in space.
Retirement
In June 2023, NASA announced that Mike Hopkins had retired. In September 2024, he appeared as a commentator for a live broadcast of a spacewalk.
His Personal Life
Hopkins is married to Julie Hopkins. They have two sons. In 2013, Hopkins joined the Catholic Church, like his wife and children. For his first mission to the ISS, his pastor helped him bring the Eucharist. This allowed him to have Communion once a week in space.
Images for kids
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Mike Hopkins in flight suit while serving as special assistant to the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
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Hopkins during an EVA with Rick Mastracchio
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Hopkins (left) with Rick Mastracchio during a Thanksgiving meal on the ISS
See also
In Spanish: Michael S. Hopkins para niños
