On 20 Feb 2007 astronaut Mike Mullane to speak at Virginia Tech. Former Space Shuttle astronaut and author Mike Mullane spoke about his experiences in space travel.

A West Point graduate, Mullane was commissioned by the Air Force in 1967 and flew 134 combat missions in Vietnam as a weapon systems operator aboard RF-4C Phantom aircraft. He completed a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology and graduated from the Air Force Flight Test Engineer School at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Selected by NASA as a mission specialist in 1978 in the first group of Space Shuttle astronauts, Mullane completed three missions — one aboard Discovery and two aboard Atlantis — for a total of 356 hours in space. He retired from NASA in 1990 and has been inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame. Mullane retired from the Air Force in 1990 with the rank of colonel and, has received a number of honors during his career, including the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit, and the NASA Space Flight Medal.