Hi! My name is Mike Mongo, Astronaut Teacher! Since 2006, I have been teaching and working with students who want to work in the culture and industries of space and astronautics.
I am the author of the children’s book Mike Mongo’s KID Astronaut Training Manual (Fair Share Publishing, 2026).
I serve on the Board of Advisors of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS). I am also one of the co-founders of Yuri’s Night Space Coast at Kennedy Space Center.
Presently, I live in Cape Canaveral, Florida, where I get to work with many of the world’s space companies, groups, and organizations and practice surfing. You can often find me at Cafe Surfinista. My kids and I also call SaxaVord Spaceport, on the island of Unst in Shetland, Scotland, home.
When I was growing up, I wanted to be a superhero or an astronaut. Growing up to become an astronaut teacher and an astronaut is both!
The best part of my job as an astronaut teacher is knowing and sharing how important space exploration is to the future success and well-being of humankind and our Earth.
We can solve every challenge we face on Earth today — energy, health, sustainability, equality, inclusion, even the illusion of scarcity — by solving for space.
In addition to training for space, I spend most of my time teaching and connecting with students around the world. My goal is to make sure that every student I connect with understands two important things: 1) tomorrow’s jobs are in space, and 2) they now have permission to live, work, and play in space.
And, yes, I have upside-down glasses. They are custom and make it easy to get people’s attention!
Remember: Getting people's attention is easy. What's important is having something to say that’s worth hearing afterwards.
Photographer: Dr Sian Proctor