Michael Massimino, a former NASA astronaut, is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University, and the senior advisor for space programs at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia and Master of Science degree in both Mechanical Engineering and Technology and Policy, as well as his Doctor of Philosophy.

Massimino is author of Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe (October 2016), where he tells the inspirational, unlikely, and often humorous story of his 18 years at NASA, including his four spacewalks to service the Hubble Space Telescope and his public relations work in telling the story of space. Massimino’s account gives readers a first-hand look at the incredible legacy of the Hubble and the modern history of space travel in the final years of the shuttle era, including the tragedy of the 2003 Columbia disaster. It also offers an insider’s take on the storied past and exciting future of manned space flight.