Colonel Michael E. Fossum, 80′ USAFR (Ret.)

COO, Texas A&M University at Galveston

Michael E. Fossum was selected as the Chief Operating Officer for the Galveston campus and Vice President of Texas A&M University (TAMU) beginning March 1, 2017 following his retirement from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – Johnson Space Center (JSC) in January 2017.

Fossum, a veteran of three space flights who has logged more than 194 days in space, including more than 48 hours in seven spacewalks, served as an astronaut from 1998 until his retirement in 2017. He has logged more than 2,000 hours in 35 different aircraft. Fossum was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Air Force in May 1980 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University and Master of Science degrees in Systems Engineering and Physical Science from the Air Force Institute of Technology and the University of Houston – Clear Lake, respectively.

Mike was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and grew up in McAllen, Texas. He married to his Aggie sweetheart, the former Melanie J. London ‘80. They have four children and four grandchildren. He enjoys family activities, motorcycle riding, and backpacking. Mike’s main hobby is serving as Scoutmaster of a Boy Scout troop.