Portrait of Michael Baker Courtesy of NASA

Michael Baker is an American astronaut who was born on October 27, 1953 in Tennessee. Before he became an astronaut, Baker was a Navy pilot. He logged over 5000 hours of flight time aboard 50 different types of aircraft.

Baker became an astronaut in 1986. He has made four space flights and has logged over 965 hours in space.

In 1991, Baker piloted shuttle Atlantis. This mission deployed a Tracking and Relay satellite and made several science experiments. In 1992, he piloted shuttle Columbia. This mission deployed several satellites and did research for the upcoming Space Station Freedom.

In 1994, Baker served as mission commander for the second flight of the Space Radar Laboratory. This lab studied the Earth. In 1997, he flew aboard shuttle Atlantis. This mission exchanged U.S. astronauts aboard the Russian Mir Space Station.