Mike Fincke with wife Renita and two of their children

Guwahati, Aug. 17: What does it take to be a record-holding astronaut who is all set to fly into space for the third time? Well, hear it from the man himself.

Mike Fincke, US astronaut and Assam’s son-in-law, will be the star attraction at IIT Guwahati’s annual extravaganza, Techniche 2009, where he will interact with students and speak about his experiences as a spaceman.

This will be the first time Fincke — married to an Assamese — NASA engineer Renita Saikia — will speak “live” to an audience in Assam where he has become a household name.

Fincke’s mother-in-law Probha Saikia told The Telegraph through email from Houston that “Mike is quite excited about the upcoming visit which he hopes will strengthen his bonds with Assam”.

Fincke will arrive in Guwahati on September 3 and share his experiences with IIT students on September 6. He had earlier interacted with school and college students in the Northeast from space via satellite.

“His visit to the campus is sure to excite and inspire budding astronauts from the Northeast. It will be a unique platform for people from different backgrounds to interact with an experienced and record-holding astronaut and know more about the deep secrets of the cosmos,” Anand V. Kartha, an organiser of Techniche 2009, said.

Fincke will also attend another interactive session with the students of Astronomy Club at IIT Guwahati the same day.

“It is human tendency to explore the depth of the unknown and ever since the dawn of development of science, man has explored the vastness of the deep space. Hence, what more can one expect than to hear it straight from a man who has been there and seen it all?” Kartha added.

Techniche is acknowledged as one of the best student festivals in the region. Organised by IIT Guwahati, it provides a platform for students to interact with the best minds of the world.

Fincke will travel to space for a third time sometime next year. He will make a trip to the International Space Station (ISS), as a mission specialist this time. He was aboard the ISS as mission commander for nearly six months and returned to Earth in April this year.

Fincke and Renita have three children, Chandra, Tarali and Surya. Surya was born while his father was in space.

Fincke endeared himself to his wife’s native land when he became the first man to do the Bihu in space — an event witnessed by thousands of people around the world through streaming video.