Meet Nasa's Space X crew, Mike Fincke's Assamese wife, Renita Saikia, who carried Assamese Gomcha to space as an ode to his wife's culture.
NASA's SpaceX crew is in the headlines due to an emergency return to Earth. This is the first time an emergency evacuation has been conducted due to an astronaut's ill health. However, for safety reasons, the astronauts' names have not yet been disclosed. The incident was marked as NASA's first early termination of an ISS mission for health issues. The mission included U.S., Japanese and Russian crew members who came back to Earth from a 167-day space station assignment. One of them is Mike Fincke. Let's know more about him and his Assamese wife.
Mike Fincke is married to Renita Saikia, who is originally based in Assam. The couple has three children, Chandra, Tarali, and Surya. Renita's family belonged to Assam, India. Her father, Rupesh Saikia, emigrated from Assam in the 1960s. He got married in 1966 and settled in New Jersey. Renita married Mike in 1996, and they both respect each other's cultures immensely and make sure to represent them whenever they can.
It was in 2004 when Mike Fincke's wife, Retina, gave birth to their second child, a baby girl, making him the first astronaut to become a father in space. He got the news of his baby girl's birth while he was in Orbit. His wife, Renita delievered their second child at a Houston hospital. In 2004, the astronaut connected with his wife via a NASA-arranged radio, which connected to his wife's cell phone in the delivery room.
As per NASA officials, it was the first time that a U.S. astronaut was in space during the birth of his child. The couple have named their baby girl, Tarali Paulina. Mike proudly announced that his daughter's name is 'Tara', which means star in Hindi. He stated that his then-three-year-old son is named 'Chandra', which means moon. Heaping praises on his proud family, he added that he already had a moon, and now his wife has given him a star.
At the time, NASA arranged video conferences for the family in the hours after the birth so Mick could see their newborn daughter. Mike Fincke, who was at the time an Air Force Lieutenant colonel, was two months into a six-month mission. Despite a crucial time for his family, Mike Fincke proudly managed his time in space and called it special. Before giving birth to her daughter, Renita sent her good wishes for her husband's mission and prayed that he returned safely from space. She hoped they could enjoy more adventures together. She said:
“I hope that everything is successful for his mission, that he comes home safely and that we get to enjoy many more adventures together for the rest of our lives."
For the unversed, Mike Fincke is a veteran American astronaut. he has spent more than 537 days in space. Talking about his early life, he was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is a certified pilot of Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon.
In 1996, Mike Fincke was selected by NASA and completed the two years of training at the Johnson Space Centre. Apart from his role as a veteran astronaut, he has even tried his hands in acting. Micke Fincke was interestingly part of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2001. He was also part of films such as Arthur (1996), and Nova (1974).
Mike Fincke is known for carrying an Assamese Gamcha to space. He proudly takes his wife, Renita's culture to space. He was also spotted doing the Bihu dance in a space station.
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