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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Mr. John Insprucker

Col Mike Baker was a linchpin in making mission success happen for national security space launches throughout his Air Force career. He culminated his career with a direct role in setting a new record of 44-straight successful launches at the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), including the successful flyout of the last Atlas II, Atlas III, and Titan IV heritage boosters.

Colonel Baker completed his distinguished career as the Director, Launch Programs, Space and Missile Systems Center, Air Force Space Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California. He led the development, acquisition, launch support, and all mission success initiatives for the Atlas, Delta, Titan IV, Centaur and Inertial Upper Stage families of space boosters. His leadership of these launch systems was critical to successful delivery of the nation's highest priority satellites to final mission orbits, providing critical space capabilities for our warfighters and national decision makers. Prior to his tour as the final program director of SMC's Launch Programs' Office, he commanded both the SMC Detachment 8 at Cape Canaveral AFS and the 45th Launch Group (45 LCG) under the 45th Space Wing. In the latter assignment, Col Baker served as the first-ever commander for the 45th LCG. As a launch expert, he was frequently selected to serve as Mission Director for Combatant Commander launch operations during this time. His missions include commanding the successful first military use of the new EELV Delta IV rockets carrying the last of the DSCS III satellites and numerous Delta II launches of our nation's 'lighthouse in space', the GPS MR satellite. As a deputy mission director, he oversaw numerous billion-dollar launch successes of the AF heavy-lift workhorse, the Titan IV.

Colonel Baker enlisted in the Air Force in July 1968 and was assigned to Itazuke Air Base, Japan as a Telecommunications Control Specialist. After 5 years, he left the service as a Staff Sergeant and attended North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. A distinguished graduate of the Reserve Officer Training Corps and the Air Force Institute of Technology graduate degree program, Colonel Baker was assigned to the Titan III launch operations organization at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California in 1980, where he began his path to spacelift mission success. He subsequently held a variety of space-related positions, including new NRO payload integrations on Space Shuttle and Titan IV; initial development and flight-testing of the Delta Clipper single-stage-to-orbit flight vehicle; and as deputy program manager of the Titan II and Titan IV rocket programs.