European Astronaut Corps
Encyclopedia
The European Astronaut Corps is a unit of the European Space Agency
(ESA) that selects, trains, and provides astronaut
s as crew members on U.S. and Russian space missions. As of May 2010, 21 ESA astronauts have flown in space, including one female
. There are currently 14 active members of the Corps. The European Astronaut Corps is based at the European Astronaut Centre
in Cologne, Germany. They can be assigned to various projects both in Europe (at ESTEC, for instance) or elsewhere in the world, at NASA Johnson Space Center or Star City
.
On April 3, 2008, ESA director general Jean-Jacques Dordain
announced that recruiting for a new class of European astronauts will start in the near future. The selection program for 4 new astronauts was launched on May 19, 2008 with applications due by 16 June 2008 so that final selection would be due spring 2009. Almost 10 000 people registered as astronaut candidates 2008-06-18. 8413 fulfilled the initial application criteria. From these 918 were chosen to take part in the first stage of psychological testing which lead to 192 candidates in 2008-09-24. After two stage psychological tests 80 candidates will continue to medical evaluation in January/February 2009. 40 or so candidates will head to a formal interviews to select the four new members to European Astronaut Corps.
is scheduled to end in 2015. The role and activities of European astronauts beyond this date, and in particular their involvement in the Vision for Space Exploration
, including missions to the Lunar outpost
, is unclear.
Eight of the current members of the corps have flown in space. All experienced members except Jean-François Clervoy have visited the ISS.
Frank De Winne is the member of the corps who has spent the most time in space, more than 198 days, the European record belongs to former German astronaut Thomas Reiter
with 350 days.
The youngest member of the corps is Thomas Pesquet, born in 1978, while the oldest is Hans Schlegel, born in 1951. The corps currently includes one woman, Samantha Cristoforetti. Only two other women have been members of the corps. Marianne Merchez
who never flew, and Claudie Haigneré
who resigned after two flights to start a political career in France. The only minority member is Léopold Eyharts
, who belongs to the Basque
ethnic group.
Maurizio Cheli
Pedro Duque
Reinhold Ewald
Umberto Guidoni
Claudie Haigneré
née André-Deshays Jean-Pierre Haigneré
Ulf Merbold
Marianne Merchez
* Claude Nicollier
Wubbo Ockels
Philippe Perrin
Thomas Reiter
Michel Tognini
Gerhard Thiele
* No space missions
Mirosław Hermaszewski Sigmund Jähn
Vladimír Remek
Anatoly Solovyev
Bertalan Farkas
Dumitru Prunariu
Reinhard Furrer Ernst Messerschmid Ulrich Walter
Patrick Baudry
Jean-Loup Chrétien
Jean-Jacques Favier
Franco Malerba
Dirk Frimout
Franz Viehböck
Ivan Bella
Helen Sharman
s.
both on board Soyuz vehicles (as part of the Euromir programme) or on board the Space Shuttle.
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
(ESA) that selects, trains, and provides astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s as crew members on U.S. and Russian space missions. As of May 2010, 21 ESA astronauts have flown in space, including one female
Claudie Haigneré
Claudie Haigneré is a French doctor, politician, and former astronaut with the Centre National d'Études Spatiales and the European Space Agency ....
. There are currently 14 active members of the Corps. The European Astronaut Corps is based at the European Astronaut Centre
European Astronaut Centre
The European Astronaut Centre is a centre of the European Space Agency and home of the European Astronaut Corps. It is located in Cologne, Germany, and is sub-divided in to four separate arms, these being Training, Medicine, Education and PR, and Astronaut Management...
in Cologne, Germany. They can be assigned to various projects both in Europe (at ESTEC, for instance) or elsewhere in the world, at NASA Johnson Space Center or Star City
Star City, Russia
Star City is a common name of an area in Moscow Oblast, Russia, which has since the 1960s been home to the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center...
.
Selection of new astronauts
According to French weekly Air & Cosmos, only six astronauts (Fuglesang, Schlegel, Nespoli, Eyharts, De Winne and Kuipers) remain available for immediate flight. Vittori and Clervoy are on temporary leave or assigned to other duties. The head of human spaceflight at ESA recommended that at least four more astronauts (plus four other in reserve) should be added after the launch of Columbus in February 2008.On April 3, 2008, ESA director general Jean-Jacques Dordain
Jean-Jacques Dordain
Jean-Jacques Dordain is the current Director General of the European Space Agency and has held the position since 2003....
announced that recruiting for a new class of European astronauts will start in the near future. The selection program for 4 new astronauts was launched on May 19, 2008 with applications due by 16 June 2008 so that final selection would be due spring 2009. Almost 10 000 people registered as astronaut candidates 2008-06-18. 8413 fulfilled the initial application criteria. From these 918 were chosen to take part in the first stage of psychological testing which lead to 192 candidates in 2008-09-24. After two stage psychological tests 80 candidates will continue to medical evaluation in January/February 2009. 40 or so candidates will head to a formal interviews to select the four new members to European Astronaut Corps.
After the ISS
The funding by NASA and Russia of the International Space StationInternational Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
is scheduled to end in 2015. The role and activities of European astronauts beyond this date, and in particular their involvement in the Vision for Space Exploration
Vision for Space Exploration
The Vision for Space Exploration is the United States space policy which was announced on January 14, 2004 by President George W. Bush. It is seen as a response to the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, the state of human spaceflight at NASA, and a way to regain public enthusiasm for space...
, including missions to the Lunar outpost
Lunar outpost (NASA)
A lunar outpost was an element of the George W. Bush era Vision for Space Exploration, which has been replaced with President Barack Obama's space policy. The outpost would have been an inhabited facility on the surface of the Moon. At the time it was proposed, NASA was to construct the outpost...
, is unclear.
Members
There are fourteen members of the European Astronaut Corps.| Name |
Country |
Selection |
Time in space |
Missions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jean-François Clervoy Jean-François Clervoy Jean-François André Clervoy is a French engineer and test pilot and an CNES and ESA astronaut. He is a veteran of three NASA Space Shuttle missions.-Personal life:... |
 Early Modern France |
1992 ESA Group | 28d 03h 05m | STS-66 STS-66 STS-66 was a Space Shuttle program mission that was flown by the Space Shuttle Atlantis. STS-66 launched on 3 November 1994 at 11:59:43.060 am EDT from Launch Pad 39-B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center... , STS-84 STS-84 STS-84 was a manned spaceflight mission by Space Shuttle Atlantis to the Mir space station.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Spacehab-DM: ** Orbiter Docking System: **Cargo delivered to Mir:... , STS-103 STS-103 STS-103 was a Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission by Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 19 December 1999 and returned on 27 December 1999.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:... |
| Samantha Cristoforetti Samantha Cristoforetti Samantha Cristoforetti is an engineer, the third woman astronaut in the European Space Agency, and the first Italian woman astronaut.-Biography:... |
 Italy |
2009 ESA Group | ||
| Frank De Winne Frank De Winne Frank, Viscount De Winne is a Belgian Air Component officer and an ESA astronaut. He is Belgium's second person in space . He was the first ESA astronaut to command a space mission when he served as commander of ISS Expedition 21.-Education:De Winne graduated in 1979 from the Royal School of Cadets... |
 Belgium |
1998 ESA Group | 198d 17h 34m | Soyuz TMA-1 Soyuz TMA-1 -Mission parameters:*Mass: 7,220 kg , gross *Perigee: 193 km *Apogee: 235 km *Inclination: 51.6° *Period: 88.7 minutes-Docking with ISS:*Docked to ISS: November 1, 2002, 05:01 UTC... , Soyuz TM-34 Soyuz TM-34 Soyuz TM-34 was the fourth Soyuz mission to the International Space Station . Soyuz TM-34 was launched by a Soyuz-U launch vehicle.-Crew:-Docking with ISS:*Docked to ISS: April 27, 2002, 07:55 UTC... , Soyuz TMA-15 Soyuz TMA-15 Soyuz TMA-15 was a manned spaceflight to the International Space Station. Part of the Soyuz programme, it transported three members of the Expedition 20 crew to the space station. TMA-15 was the 102nd manned flight of a Soyuz spacecraft, since Soyuz 1 in 1967. The Soyuz spacecraft remain docked to... , Expedition 20 (ISS) Expedition 20 Expedition 20 was the twentieth long-duration flight to the International Space Station. The expedition marked the first time a six-member crew inhabited the station... , Expedition 21 (ISS) Expedition 21 Expedition 21 was the 21st long-duration mission to the International Space Station . The expedition began on 30 September 2009, with Frank de Winne becoming the first ESA astronaut to command a space mission.... |
| Léopold Eyharts Léopold Eyharts Léopold Eyharts is a Brigadier General in the French Air Force and an ESA astronaut.-Background:Eyharts was born April 28, 1957, in Biarritz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France... |
Early Modern France |
1998 ESA Group | 68d 21h 31m | Soyuz TM-27 Soyuz TM-27 -Mission accomplishments:*Docked with Mir*Exchange part of crew*Carried out French mission PEGASE*Conducted routine science experiments-EVA schedule:*03.03.1998 aborted due to faulty hatch*01.04.1998 *06.04.1998 *11.04.1998... , Soyuz TM-26 Soyuz TM-26 Soyuz TM-26 is a Russian spacecraft that ferried cosmonauts and supplies to the Mir, the Russian space station. It was the 32nd expedition to Mir. It was launched by a Soyuz-U rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome on August 5, 1997... , STS-122 STS-122 STS-122 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station , flown by the Space Shuttle Atlantis. STS-122 marked the 24th shuttle mission to the ISS, and the 121st space shuttle flight since STS-1.... , Expedition 16 (ISS) Expedition 16 Expedition 16 was the 16th expedition to the International Space Station .The first two crew members, Yuri Malenchenko and Peggy Whitson, launched on 10 October 2007, aboard Soyuz TMA-11, and were joined by spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, the first Malaysian in space.Expedition 15... , STS-123 STS-123 -Mission parameters:* Mass:* Orbiter liftoff: * Orbiter landing: * Perigee: 336 kilometers * Apogee: 346 kilometers * Inclination: 51.6 degrees* Period: 91.6min-Mission payloads:... |
| Christer Fuglesang Christer Fuglesang Dr. Arne Christer Fuglesang is a Swedish physicist and an ESA astronaut. He was first launched aboard the STS-116 Space Shuttle mission on December 10, 2006, at 01:47 GMT, making him the first Swedish citizen in space.... |
 Sweden |
1992 ESA Group | 26d 17h 38m | STS-116 STS-116 -Crew notes:Originally this mission was to carry the Expedition 8 crew to the ISS. The original crew was to be:-Mission highlights:* The STS-116 mission delivered and attached the International Space Station's third port truss segment, the P5 truss.... , STS-128 STS-128 -Crew notes:Nicole Stott was originally scheduled to return aboard Soyuz TMA-15, but a change in the flight plan was made due to the possible flight delays in future shuttle missions, which may extend Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk's mission beyond the six-month duration preferred for station... |
| Alexander Gerst Alexander Gerst Alexander Gerst is a European Space Agency astronaut having been selected in 2009 to undergo training. He studied at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, where he received a university degree in physics. He also studied Earth Science at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, where he... |
 Germany |
2009 ESA Group | ||
| André Kuipers André Kuipers André Kuipers is a Dutch physician and ESA astronaut. He officially became the second Dutch and the third Dutch-born astronaut upon launch of Soyuz TMA-4 on April 19, 2004. Kuipers returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-3 11 days later.Kuipers is scheduled to become the first Dutch astronaut to... |
 Netherlands |
1998 ESA Group | 10d 20h 53m | Soyuz TMA-4 Soyuz TMA-4 Soyuz TMA-4 was a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station launched by a Soyuz FG launch vehicle. It was launched on April 19, 2004 from Baikonur Cosmodrome. Gennady Padalka from Russia, Michael Fincke from the USA and André Kuipers from the Netherlands were flown to the International... , Soyuz TMA-3 Soyuz TMA-3 -Mission parameters:*Mass: ? kg*Perigee: 193 km*Apogee: 227 km*Inclination: 51.7°*Period: 88.6 min-Docking with ISS:*Docked to ISS: October 20, 2003, 07:16 UTC... |
| Andreas Mogensen Andreas Mogensen Andreas Enevold Mogensen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1976. In Denmark he worked as an engineer in the R&D department of Vestas Wind Systems in Denmark. He has been working in Germany as an attitude & orbit control system and guidance, navigation & control engineer for HE Space Operations... |
 Denmark |
2009 ESA Group | ||
| Paolo A. Nespoli Paolo A. Nespoli Paolo Angelo Nespoli is an Italian astronaut. In 2007, he first traveled into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery as a mission specialist of STS-120. In the December of 2010 he again traveled into space aboard the Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft as an Expedition 26/27 flight... |
Italy |
1998 ESA Group | 174d 09h 40m | STS-120 STS-120 -Crew notes:As commander of STS-120, Pamela Melroy became the second woman to command a space shuttle mission. Additionally, the Expedition 16 crew that received STS-120 was commanded by Peggy Whitson, the first female ISS commander... , Soyuz TMA-20 Soyuz TMA-20 Soyuz TMA-20 was a manned spaceflight to the International Space Station and was part of the Soyuz programme. It lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on December 15, 2010, and docked with the ISS two days later... , Expedition 26 (ISS) Expedition 26 The Expedition 26 was the twenty-sixth long-duration mission to the International Space Station. The expedition's first three crew members – one US astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts – arrived at the station on board Soyuz TMA-01M on 10 October 2010... |
| Luca Parmitano Luca Parmitano Luca Parmitano is an astronaut in the European Astronaut Corps for the European Space Agency . The astronauts work on missions at the International Space Station. He was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009.... |
Italy |
2009 ESA Group | ||
| Timothy Peake Timothy Peake Timothy Nigel Peake is a former British Army Air Corps officer and a current European Space Agency astronaut. He is the first British citizen to be selected as an astronaut by ESA... |
 United Kingdom |
2009 ESA Group | ||
| Thomas Pesquet Thomas Pesquet Thomas Pesquet is French engineer and pilot who has been chosen to train as a European Space Agency astronaut.... |
Early Modern France |
2009 ESA Group | ||
| Hans Schlegel Hans Schlegel Hans Wilhelm Schlegel is a German physicist, an ESA astronaut, and a veteran of two NASA Space Shuttle missions.-Early life and education:... |
Germany |
1998 ESA Group | 22d 18h 02m | STS-55 STS-55 -Backup crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°*Period: 90.7 min-Mission highlights:... , STS-122 STS-122 STS-122 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station , flown by the Space Shuttle Atlantis. STS-122 marked the 24th shuttle mission to the ISS, and the 121st space shuttle flight since STS-1.... |
| Roberto Vittori Roberto Vittori Roberto Vittori is an Italian air force officer and an ESA astronaut. After graduating from the Italian Air Force Academy in 1989, Vittori flew in the Italian Air Force. He then trained as a test pilot in the United States.... |
Italy |
1998 ESA Group | 35d 12h 26m | Soyuz TM-34 Soyuz TM-34 Soyuz TM-34 was the fourth Soyuz mission to the International Space Station . Soyuz TM-34 was launched by a Soyuz-U launch vehicle.-Crew:-Docking with ISS:*Docked to ISS: April 27, 2002, 07:55 UTC... , Soyuz TM-33 Soyuz TM-33 Soyuz TM-33 was a manned Russian space launch on Oct 21, 2001, on the Soyuz-U launch vehicle. Its mission was to carry a new crew and supplies to the International Space Station.-Crew:-Docking with ISS:... , Soyuz TMA-6 Soyuz TMA-6 Soyuz TMA-6 was a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station launched by a Soyuz-FG launch vehicle.-Crew:-Docking with ISS:*Docked to ISS: April 17, 2005, 02:20 UTC... , Soyuz TMA-5 Soyuz TMA-5 Soyuz TMA-5 was a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station launched by a Soyuz-FG launch vehicle.-Crew:TMA 5 ISS 10 Crew patches were designed by Seán O'Mara for USSR Airspace.-Docking with ISS:... , STS-134 STS-134 STS-134 was the penultimate mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program. The mission marked the 25th and final flight of . This flight delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier to the International Space Station. Mark Kelly served as the mission commander... |
Eight of the current members of the corps have flown in space. All experienced members except Jean-François Clervoy have visited the ISS.
Frank De Winne is the member of the corps who has spent the most time in space, more than 198 days, the European record belongs to former German astronaut Thomas Reiter
Thomas Reiter
Thomas Arthur Reiter is a retired European astronaut and is a Brigadier General in the Luftwaffe currently working as Director of Human Spaceflight and Operations at the European Space Agency . , he was one of the top 25 astronauts in terms of total time in space...
with 350 days.
The youngest member of the corps is Thomas Pesquet, born in 1978, while the oldest is Hans Schlegel, born in 1951. The corps currently includes one woman, Samantha Cristoforetti. Only two other women have been members of the corps. Marianne Merchez
Marianne Merchez
Marianne Merchez is a Belgian doctor from the Catholic University of Louvain and a former European Space Agency astronaut....
who never flew, and Claudie Haigneré
Claudie Haigneré
Claudie Haigneré is a French doctor, politician, and former astronaut with the Centre National d'Études Spatiales and the European Space Agency ....
who resigned after two flights to start a political career in France. The only minority member is Léopold Eyharts
Léopold Eyharts
Léopold Eyharts is a Brigadier General in the French Air Force and an ESA astronaut.-Background:Eyharts was born April 28, 1957, in Biarritz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France...
, who belongs to the Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
ethnic group.
Former members
There are fourteen former members of the ESA.Maurizio Cheli
Maurizio Cheli
Maurizio Cheli is an Italian engineer, air force officer, a European Space Agency astronaut and a veteran of one NASA space shuttle mission....
Pedro Duque
Pedro Duque
Pedro Duque Duque is a Spanish astronaut and a veteran of two space missions.Duque earned a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in 1986. He worked for GMV and for the European Space Agency for six years before being selected as an astronaut candidate in...
Reinhold Ewald
Reinhold Ewald
Dr. Reinhold Ewald is a German physicist and ESA astronaut.Born in Mönchengladbach, Germany, he received diploma in experimental physics from the University of Cologne in 1983 and the Ph.D. in 1986, with a minor degree in human physiology.In 1990, he was selected to the German astronaut team,...
Umberto Guidoni
Umberto Guidoni
Umberto Guidoni is an Italian politician and a former ESA astronaut. He is a veteran of two NASA space shuttle missions...
Claudie HaigneréClaudie Haigneré
Claudie Haigneré is a French doctor, politician, and former astronaut with the Centre National d'Études Spatiales and the European Space Agency ....
née André-Deshays Jean-Pierre Haigneré
Jean-Pierre Haigneré
Jean-Pierre Haigneré is a French Air Force officer and a former CNES astronaut.Haigneré was born in Paris, France and joined the French Air Force, where he trained as a test pilot....
Ulf Merbold
Ulf Merbold
Dr. Ulf Dietrich Merbold is the first West German citizen and second German native to have flown in space. He is also the first member of the European Space Agency Astronaut Corps to participate in a spaceflight mission. He holds the distinction of being the first non-US citizen to reach orbit in...
Marianne MerchezMarianne Merchez
Marianne Merchez is a Belgian doctor from the Catholic University of Louvain and a former European Space Agency astronaut....
* Claude Nicollier
Claude Nicollier
Claude Nicollier is the first astronaut from Switzerland, and has flown on four Space Shuttle missions. His first spaceflight was in 1992, and his final spaceflight was in 1999. He took part in two servicing missions to the Hubble Space Telescope...
Wubbo Ockels
Wubbo Ockels
Prof. Dr. Wubbo Johannes Ockels is a Dutch physicist and a former ESA astronaut. In 1985 he participated in a flight on a space shuttle , making him the first Dutch citizen in space. He was not the first Dutch-born astronaut, as he is preceded by the naturalized American Lodewijk van den Berg, who...
Philippe Perrin
Philippe Perrin
Philippe Perrin is a French test pilot and former CNES and European Space Agency astronaut.-Background:Perrin was born 6 January 1963, in Meknes, Morocco, but considers Avignon, Provence, to be his hometown. He entered the French École polytechnique in 1982 and graduated as "Ingénieur...
Thomas Reiter
Thomas Reiter
Thomas Arthur Reiter is a retired European astronaut and is a Brigadier General in the Luftwaffe currently working as Director of Human Spaceflight and Operations at the European Space Agency . , he was one of the top 25 astronauts in terms of total time in space...
Michel Tognini
Michel Tognini
Michel Ange-Charles Tognini is a French test pilot, officer in the French Air Force, and a former CNES and ESA astronaut who currently serves as Head of the European Astronaut Centre of the European Space Agency. A veteran of two space flights, Tognini has logged a total of 19 days in space...
Gerhard Thiele
Gerhard Thiele
Dr. Gerhard Paul Julius Thiele is a German physicist and a former ESA astronaut.-Early life and education:Born in Heidenheim an der Brenz, he attended the Friedrich-Schiller-Gymnasium in Ludwigsburg. After school he volunteered for the German Navy, serving as Operations/Weapons Officer aboard fast...
Warsaw Pact Cosmonauts
Aleksandar Panayotov Aleksandrov Georgi IvanovGeorgi Ivanov
Major general Georgi Ivanov Kakalov is a retired Bulgarian military officer and the first Bulgarian cosmonaut. He was a member of the National Assembly of Bulgaria in 1990.-Early life and military career:...
Mirosław Hermaszewski Sigmund Jähn
Sigmund Jähn
Sigmund Werner Paul Jähn is a German pilot who became the first German to fly in space as part of the Soviet Union's Interkosmos program.-Biography:Jähn was born in Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz, in the Vogtland district of Saxony, Germany...
Vladimír Remek
Vladimír Remek
Vladimír Remek is the first Czechoslovak in space and the first cosmonaut from a country other than the Soviet Union or the United States. As of 2004, with the entry of the Czech Republic into the European Union Vladimír Remek is considered to be the first astronaut from the EU...
Anatoly Solovyev
Anatoly Solovyev
Anatoly Yakovlevich Solovyev is a former Soviet pilot, cosmonaut, and Colonel. Solovyev holds the world record on the number of spacewalks performed , and accumulated time spent spacewalking .- Family :...
Bertalan Farkas
Bertalan Farkas
Bertalan Farkas was the first Hungarian cosmonaut and the first Esperantist in space. He is currently the president of Airlines Service and Trade...
Dumitru Prunariu
Dumitru Prunariu
Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu is a retired Romanian astronaut who flew aboard Soyuz 40.-Early life and career:Born on September 27, 1952 in Braşov, Romania, Prunariu graduated from the Physics and Mathematics high school in Braşov in 1971 and from the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest in 1976,...
-
- Excluding Soviet cosmonauts from European Russia.
Western Europe Astronauts
Klaus-Dietrich FladeKlaus-Dietrich Flade
Klaus-Dietrich Flade is a German pilot and former German Aerospace Center astronaut who visited the Mir space station in 1992 aboard the Soyuz TM-14 mission, returning to Earth a week later aboard Soyuz TM-13.-Biography:...
Reinhard Furrer Ernst Messerschmid Ulrich Walter
Ulrich Walter
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hans Walter is a German physicist/engineer and a former DFVLR astronaut.Walter was born in Iserlohn, Germany. After finishing secondary school there and two years in the Bundeswehr, he studied physics at the University of Cologne...
Patrick Baudry
Patrick Baudry
Patrick Pierre Roger Baudry , is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the French Air Force and a former CNES astronaut...
Jean-Loup Chrétien
Jean-Loup Chrétien
Jean-Loup Jacques Marie Chrétien, is a French engineer, a retired Général de Brigade in the Armée de l'Air , and a former CNES astronaut. He flew on two Franco-Soviet space missions and a NASA Space Shuttle mission...
Jean-Jacques Favier
Jean-Jacques Favier
Jean-Jacques Favier is a French engineer and a former CNES astronaut who flew aboard the STS-78 NASA Space Shuttle mission.-Personal data:Born in Kehl, Germany, he later married Michèle Jean. They have four children...
Franco Malerba
Franco Malerba
Franco Egidio Malerba is an Italian astronaut. He was the first citizen of Italy to travel to space....
Dirk Frimout
Dirk Frimout
Dirk Dries David Damiaan, Viscount Frimout is an astrophysicist for the European Space Agency. He flew aboard NASA Space Shuttle mision STS-45 as a payload specialist, making him the first Belgian in space....
Franz Viehböck
Franz Viehböck
Franz Artur Viehböck is an Austrian electrical engineer, and was Austria's first astronaut. He visited the Mir space station in 1991 aboard Soyuz TM-13, returning aboard Soyuz TM-12 after spending just over a week in space....
Ivan Bella
Ivan Bella
Ivan Bella is a Slovak Air Force officer who became the first Slovak citizen to fly in space...
Helen SharmanHelen Sharman
Helen Patricia Sharman, OBE PhD , is a British chemist. She was the first Briton in space, visiting the Mir space station aboard Soyuz TM-12 in 1991....
NASA Space Shuttle missions
Astronauts from the European Astronaut Corps participated in several Space Shuttle missions before the ISS era, in particular as Spacelab Payload SpecialistPayload Specialist
A Payload Specialist ' was an individual selected and trained by commercial or research organizations for flights of a specific payload on a NASA Space Shuttle mission...
s.
As Payload Specialists
- Ulf Merbold - STS-9STS-9STS-9 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission which carried the first Spacelab module into orbit to conduct space-based scientific experiments. It was the sixth mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia, and was Columbia's last flight until STS-61-C in January 1986...
/ SpacelabSpacelabSpacelab was a reusable laboratory used on certain spaceflights flown by the Space Shuttle. The laboratory consisted of multiple components, including a pressurized module, an unpressurized carrier and other related hardware housed in the Shuttle's cargo bay...
, STS-42STS-42STS-42 was a Space Shuttle Discovery mission with the Spacelab module. Liftoff which was originally scheduled for 8:45 EST 22 January 1992, but the launch was delayed due to weather constraints. Discovery successfully lifted off an hour later at 9:52 EST . The main goal of the mission was to study...
/ Spacelab - Wubbo Ockels - STS-61-ASTS-61-ASTS-61-A was the 22nd mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program. It was a scientific Spacelab mission, funded and directed by West Germany – hence the non-NASA designation of D-1 . STS-61-A was the last successful mission of the Space Shuttle Challenger, which was destroyed during STS-51-L in 1986...
/ Spacelab
As Mission Specialists
- Claude Nicollier - STS-46STS-46STS-46 was a NASA space shuttle mission using orbiter Atlantis and launched on 31 July 1992 at 9:56:48 am EDT.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee:...
, STS-61STS-61STS-61 was the first Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, and the fifth flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The mission launched on 2 December 1993 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission restored the spaceborne observatory's vision, marred by spherical aberration, with the...
, STS-75STS-75STS-75 was a United States Space Shuttle mission, the 19th mission of the Columbia orbiter.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass: payload*Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°*Period: 90.5 min-Mission objective:...
, STS-103STS-103STS-103 was a Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission by Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 19 December 1999 and returned on 27 December 1999.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:... - Maurizio Cheli - STS-75STS-75STS-75 was a United States Space Shuttle mission, the 19th mission of the Columbia orbiter.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass: payload*Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°*Period: 90.5 min-Mission objective:...
- Jean-François Clervoy - STS-66STS-66STS-66 was a Space Shuttle program mission that was flown by the Space Shuttle Atlantis. STS-66 launched on 3 November 1994 at 11:59:43.060 am EDT from Launch Pad 39-B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center...
, STS-84STS-84STS-84 was a manned spaceflight mission by Space Shuttle Atlantis to the Mir space station.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Spacehab-DM: ** Orbiter Docking System: **Cargo delivered to Mir:...
, STS-103 - Gerhard Thiele - STS-99STS-99STS-99 was a Space Shuttle Endeavour mission, that launched on 11 February 2000 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The primary objective of the mission was the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission project.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:...
- Pedro Duque - STS-95STS-95STS-95 was a Space Shuttle Discovery mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on 29 October 1998. It was the 25th flight of Discovery and the 92nd mission flown since the start of the Space Shuttle program in April 1981. It was a highly publicized mission due to former Project Mercury...
- Roberto Vittori - STS-134STS-134STS-134 was the penultimate mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program. The mission marked the 25th and final flight of . This flight delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier to the International Space Station. Mark Kelly served as the mission commander...
Mir visits
Astronauts from the European astronaut Corps have also flown to MirMir
Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the...
both on board Soyuz vehicles (as part of the Euromir programme) or on board the Space Shuttle.
- Ulf Merbold - Euromir 94 - Soyuz TM-20Soyuz TM-20-Crew:-Mission highlights:20th expedition to Mir.Carried 10 kg of equipment for use by Merbold in ESA’s month-long Euromir94 experiment program. During automatic approach to Mir’s front port, the...
- 03.10. - 04.11.1994 - Thomas Reiter - Euromir 95 - Soyuz TM-22Soyuz TM-22-Crew:-Mission highlights:23rd expedition to Mir.Soyuz TM-22 was a Russian transport spacecraft that transported cosmonauts to the Mir space station for a 135-day stay. It was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and docked on September 5, 1995 with Mir's Kvant-2 module at the port that was...
- 03.09.1995 - 29.02.1996 - Jean-François Clervoy - STS-84STS-84STS-84 was a manned spaceflight mission by Space Shuttle Atlantis to the Mir space station.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Spacehab-DM: ** Orbiter Docking System: **Cargo delivered to Mir:...
ISS visits
ESA astronauts to have visited the ISS are:- Guidoni, ESA, 9th ISS flight (6A) MPLM RaffaelloMulti-Purpose Logistics ModuleA Multi-Purpose Logistics Module is a large pressurized container used on Space Shuttle missions to transfer cargo to and from the International Space Station . An MPLM was carried in the cargo bay of a Shuttle and berthed to the Unity or Harmony modules on the ISS. From there, supplies were...
, STS-100STS-100STS-100 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour. STS-100 installed the ISS Canadarm2 robotic arm.- Crew :- Mission parameters :* Mass:** Orbiter liftoff:...
/ISS - Vittori, ASIItalian Space AgencyThe Italian Space Agency is a government agency established in 1988 to fund, regulate and coordinate space exploration activities in Italy...
Eneide, Soyuz/ISS - Vittori, ASI Marco Polo, Soyuz/ISS
- Claudie Haigneré, CNESCNESThe is the French government space agency . Established under President Charles de Gaulle in 1961, its headquarters are located in central Paris and it is under the supervision of the French Ministries of Defence and Research...
Andromède, SoyuzSoyuz spacecraftSoyuz , Union) is a series of spacecraft initially designed for the Soviet space programme by the Korolyov Design Bureau in the 1960s, and still in service today...
/ISSISSThe ISS is the International Space Station.ISS may also refer to:* I See Stars, an American electronic rock band* ISS A/S, a Danish service company* Idea Star Singer, a Malayalam music reality show by Asianet TV... - Perrin , NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
/CNES, ISS assembly flight UF-2, STS-111STS-111STS-111 was a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour. STS-111 resupplied the station and replaced the Expedition 4 crew with the Expedition 5 crew...
/ISS - De Winne, ESA, Odissea, Soyuz/ISS
- Duque, ESA, Cervantes, Soyuz/ISS
- Kuipers, ESA, DELTA Mission, 8S/ISS
- Reiter, ESA Astrolab, ISS assembly flight ULF 1.1, STS-121STS-121STS-121 was a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Discovery. The main purposes of the mission were to test new safety and repair techniques introduced following the Columbia disaster of February 2003 as well as to deliver supplies, equipment and...
/ISS, Expedition 13Expedition 13Expedition 13 was the 13th expedition to the International Space Station , and launched at 02:30 UTC on 30 March 2006. The expedition used the Soyuz TMA-8 spacecraft, which stayed at the station for the duration of the expedition for emergency evacuation.... - Fuglesang, ESA Celsius, ISS assembly flight 12A.1, STS-116STS-116-Crew notes:Originally this mission was to carry the Expedition 8 crew to the ISS. The original crew was to be:-Mission highlights:* The STS-116 mission delivered and attached the International Space Station's third port truss segment, the P5 truss....
/ISS - Nespoli, ESA Esperia, ISS assembly flight 10A, STS-120STS-120-Crew notes:As commander of STS-120, Pamela Melroy became the second woman to command a space shuttle mission. Additionally, the Expedition 16 crew that received STS-120 was commanded by Peggy Whitson, the first female ISS commander...
/ISS - Schlegel, ISS assembly flight 1E, STS-122STS-122STS-122 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station , flown by the Space Shuttle Atlantis. STS-122 marked the 24th shuttle mission to the ISS, and the 121st space shuttle flight since STS-1....
/ISS - Eyharts, STS-122STS-122STS-122 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station , flown by the Space Shuttle Atlantis. STS-122 marked the 24th shuttle mission to the ISS, and the 121st space shuttle flight since STS-1....
/ISS, Expedition 16Expedition 16Expedition 16 was the 16th expedition to the International Space Station .The first two crew members, Yuri Malenchenko and Peggy Whitson, launched on 10 October 2007, aboard Soyuz TMA-11, and were joined by spaceflight participant Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, the first Malaysian in space.Expedition 15... - Fuglesang, ESA Alisse, ISS assembly flight 17A, STS-128STS-128-Crew notes:Nicole Stott was originally scheduled to return aboard Soyuz TMA-15, but a change in the flight plan was made due to the possible flight delays in future shuttle missions, which may extend Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk's mission beyond the six-month duration preferred for station...
- De Winne, Expedition 20Expedition 20Expedition 20 was the twentieth long-duration flight to the International Space Station. The expedition marked the first time a six-member crew inhabited the station...
and ISS Commander of Expedition 21Expedition 21Expedition 21 was the 21st long-duration mission to the International Space Station . The expedition began on 30 September 2009, with Frank de Winne becoming the first ESA astronaut to command a space mission.... - Paolo Nespoli, Soyuz TMA-20Soyuz TMA-20Soyuz TMA-20 was a manned spaceflight to the International Space Station and was part of the Soyuz programme. It lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on December 15, 2010, and docked with the ISS two days later...
, Expedition 26Expedition 26The Expedition 26 was the twenty-sixth long-duration mission to the International Space Station. The expedition's first three crew members – one US astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts – arrived at the station on board Soyuz TMA-01M on 10 October 2010...
and Expedition 27Expedition 27Expedition 27 was the 27th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station , starting on 16 March 2011. Expedition 27 saw numerous notable events, including the undocking of the Progress M-09M and Kounotori 2 spacecraft, the arrival of the Soyuz TMA-21 and Progress M-10M spacecraft, and...
Crew members
- Andre Kuipers - Expedition 30Expedition 30Expedition 30 is the 30th and current long-duration mission to the International Space Station . The expedition's first three crew members – Dan Burbank, Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoli Ivanishin – arrived on the ISS aboard Soyuz TMA-22 on 16 November 2011, during the last phase of...
and Expedition 31Expedition 31Expedition 31 is scheduled to be the thirty-first expedition to the International Space Station.-Crew:Source: NASA-External links:**... - Luca Parmitano - Expedition 36Expedition 36Expedition 36 is scheduled to be the thirty-sixth expedition to the International Space Station.-Crew:Sources:NASA-External links:*...
and Expedition 37Expedition 37Expedition 37 is scheduled to be the thirty-seventh expedition to the International Space Station.-Crew:Sources:NASA, ESA-External links:*... - Alexander Gerst - Expedition 40Expedition 40Expedition 40 is scheduled to be the fortieth expedition to the International Space Station.-Crew:Source: ESA-External links:*...
and Expedition 41Expedition 41Expedition 41 is scheduled to be the forty-first expedition to the International Space Station.-Crew:Source: ESA-External links:*...
See also
- NASA Astronaut CorpsNASA Astronaut CorpsThe NASA Astronaut Corps is a unit of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members for U.S. and international space missions.-History:...
- List of astronauts by selection
- Human spaceflightHuman spaceflightHuman spaceflight is spaceflight with humans on the spacecraft. When a spacecraft is manned, it can be piloted directly, as opposed to machine or robotic space probes and remotely-controlled satellites....
- History of spaceflightHistory of spaceflightSpaceflight, became a reality in the 20th Century following theoretical and practical breakthroughs by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky and Robert H. Goddard.-Background:...