Former Space Shuttle Astronaut
Colonel Mullane was born September 10, 1945 in Wichita Falls, Texas but spent much of his youth in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he currently resides. Upon his graduation from West Point in 1967, he was commissioned in the United States Air Force. As a Weapon Systems Operator aboard RF-4C Phantom aircraft, he completed 134 combat missions in Vietnam. He holds a Master`s of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and is also a graduate of the Air Force Flight Test Engineer School at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Mullane was selected as a Mission Specialist in 1978 in the first group of Space Shuttle Astronauts. He completed three space missions aboard the Shuttles Discovery (STS-41D) and Atlantis (STS-27 & 36) before retiring from NASA and the Air Force in 1990.
Mullane has been inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame and is the recipient of many awards, including the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit and the NASA Space Flight Medal.
Since his retirement from NASA, Colonel Mullane has written an award-winning children`s book, Liftoff! An Astronaut`s Dream, and a popular space-fact book, Do Your Ears Pop In Space? His memoir, Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut, has been reviewed in the New York Times and on the Jon Stewart Daily Show. It has also been featured on Barnes and Noble`s 2010 recommended summer reading list.
Mullane has held a lifelong passion for hiking and summited Africa`s highest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro, on July 23, 2010.
Colonel Mullane has established himself as an acclaimed professional speaker on the topics of teamwork, leadership and safety. He has educated, entertained, inspired and thrilled tens of thousands of people from every walk of business and government with his incredibly unique programs.
Demo Video 1
Talk Titles:
Countdown To Teamwork
Countdown To Teamwork is a team-building /leadership program in which Colonel Mullane motivates the audience on their practice of these fundamentals of teamwork: guarding against a normalization of deviance, responsibility, trust, courageous self-leadership, and courageous team leadership. This program is applicable to all teams everywhere. It has thrilled and inspired personnel in sales, manufacturing, production, safety ... in ALL areas of company operations. It has been cheered by managers and blue-collar workers, by union and non-union teams. It has been enjoyed by men and women from every corner of corporate America ... from perfume sales teams to nuclear power plant safety teams; from insurance company teams to medical equipment manufacturers; from beverage producers to record label teams.
Countdown To Safety
In his program, Countdown To Safety, Astronaut Mullane delivers a powerful message on the individual`s role in keeping themselves and their teams safe in hazardous environments. Mullane introduces this subject with a recount of his own near-death experience in a fighter jet, when he failed to speak up about an unsafe situation. He assumed another crewmember, with more flying time, knew best about the safety of their operations. In other words, at a critical moment in a hazardous operation, Mullane surrendered his responsibility for safety to someone else. He became a safety passenger. The result was his (and the pilot`s) narrow escape from death during their ejection from the crashing jet. The destruction of a multi-million dollar plane might have been avoided if Mullane had maintained his safety presence and voiced his assessment on the dangers of the pilot`s decision. Instead, he assumed he didn`t count, that the pilot knew best.
The Lighter Side Of Spaceflight
In his program, The Lighter Side of Spaceflight, Astronaut Mike Mullane will take the audience on a uniquely revealing, captivating and hilarious space journey. Using spectacular video and slides he will answer everybody`s space questions: What does a shuttle launch feel like?... How does an astronaut deal with the incredible fear of launch?... How do you sleep, bathe, eat, drink, etc.?... What do you see from space?... And, of course, he will answer the top two questions that astronauts are ever asked:
Number 1: How does the space toilet work? (When the audience hears how astronauts train to use the toilet they will be convulsed with laughter.)...and...
Number 2: Have astronauts seen any UFOs or aliens?
The answers to these questions and many, many more are lavishly wrapped with inside, hilarious stories and supported with amazing video. The audience will not only be thoroughly entertained by The Lighter Side of Spaceflight, but will also feel privileged to have been given an insight into the astronaut experience that few people ever get to experience.
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Speaking Topics:
Astronauts, Author, Aviation, Youth, Military, Veterans, Quality, Patriotism, Space, Inspiration, Motivation, Empowerment, Leadership, Management, Decision Making, Attitude, Peak Performance, Success, Safety, Risk, Workplace, Team Building
