Mike Makinen served three years in the United States (U.S.) Army as a Captain where he worked as an aeronautical engineer at the U.S. Army Aviation Test Board in Fort Rucker, Alabama testing prototype helicopters. His career continued at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from 1966 to 2005, first in Cleveland, Ohio and then at Moffett Field, California. Mike worked as an Aerospace Engineer, a Design Engineer, a Facilities Planner, and a Project Manager. Additionally he worked as Chief of the Ames Facilities Planning Office and as the NASA- Ames Historic Preservation Officer. Mike has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechanical engineering.