Michael J. Bloomfield

For the musician, see Mike Bloomfield.

Template:Infobox astronaut Michael John "Bloomer" Bloomfield (born March 16, 1959) is an American former astronaut and a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions.

Early life and education

Born in Flint and raised in Lake Fenton, Michigan, Bloomfield received his bachelor's degree in Engineering Mechanics from the United States Air Force Academy, where he played Falcons football for coach Bill Parcells and was the team's captain. He became an F-15 fighter pilot with the rare combination of having graduated the Fighter Weapons Instructor Course (FWIC, pronounced 'Fwick') and then selected as a test pilot (assigned to the F-16 test squadron at Edwards AFB). He earned his master's degree in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University in 1993.

NASA career

Selected by NASA in December 1994, Bloomfield reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995. He worked as Chief of Safety for the Astronaut Office, Chief Instructor Astronaut, Director of Shuttle Operations, and Chief of the Shuttle Branch, which oversees all Shuttle technical issues for the Astronaut Office.

He first flew as a pilot aboard STS-86 in 1997, where he docked with the space station Mir. Bloomfield also piloted STS-97 in 2000 and commanded STS-110 in 2002, both missions to the International Space Station.

In 2006, Bloomfield served as Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. He resigned from NASA in July 2007.

Post-NASA career

In October 2007, Bloomfield joined ATK as Vice President of the Constellation Program. In December 2010, Bloomfiel joined Oceaneering as its Vice President and General Manager of Oceaneering Space Systems.

He currently serves on the board of directors at Space Center Houston and resides in suburban Houston, Texas.