ESA Astronaut Biography: Hans Schlegel

ESA Astronaut Biography: Hans Schlegel
German spaceflyer Hans Schegel, of the European Space Agency, poses for a preflight portrait. (Image credit: NASA and ESA.)

NAME: Hans Schlegel
European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut(Germany)

PERSONALDATA: BornAugust 3, 1951 in ?berlingen, Germany, but considers Aachen to be his hometown.He has seven children. Married to Heike Schlegel-Walpot. Recreational interestsinclude skiing, scuba diving and flying. He also enjoys reading, and being ahandyman.

EDUCATION:

1957-70: Attendedschools in Refrath, Bensberg and Cologne, Germany.

1968-69:American Field Service (AFS) exchange student. Graduated from Lewis CentralHigh School, Council Bluffs, Iowa.

1970: Graduatedfrom Hansa Gymnasium (secondary school emphasizing mathematics & science), Cologne,Germany.

1972-79:Studied at the University of Aachen, Germany, graduated with a Diploma inPhysics.

ORGANIZATIONS: Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft(German Physical Society); AFS - Interkulturelle Begegnungen (American FieldService Germany).

PUBLICATIONS: Publications and scientific reportsin the field of semiconductor physics.

HONORS: Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse desVerdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Federal Service Cross 1 stClass, Federal Republic of Germany). Medal of Friendship of Russia. NASAExceptional Achievement Medal.

EXPERIENCE:

1970-72: Served as a paratrooper with theFederal Armed Forces. Left with the rank of second lieutenant.

1979-86: Member of the academic staff atRheinisch Westf?lische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen (University ofAachen) as an experimental Solid State Physicist. Research in the field ofelectronic transport properties and optical properties of semiconductors.

1986-88: Specialist in non-destructivetesting methodology in the research and development department of the company"Institut Dr. F?rster Gmbh & Co. KG" in Reutlingen, Germany.

1988-90: Basic Astronaut Training at theGerman Aerospace Center (DLR). In addition to academic education he gainedmicrogravity experience by conducting various experiments during approximately1300 parabolas on the KC-135. He also became a certified research diver andholds a private pilot?s license, covering instrument rating and aerobatics.

1990: Assigned as payload specialist forthe D-2 Mission (second German Spacelabmission).

1990-93: Payload Training in Cologne,Germany and at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

1995-97: Cosmonaut Training for theGerman-Russian Mir-?97 Missionat Yuri A. Gagarin Training Centre (Moscow). During the mission (February 10 toMarch 2, 1997) served as Crew Interface Coordinator.

1997-98: Additional training andcertification as 2nd board engineer for Mirat Yuri A. Gagarin Training Centre.

1998: Integrated into ESA?s singleEuropean astronaut corps, which is involved in the assembly and on-boardoperations of the International Space Station.

1998: ESA sent him to NASA JSC in Houstonfor Mission Specialist Training (Astronaut Class of 1998).

1999-02: Worked in the ISS Branch on mechanisms & structures,on crew equipment and on the ISS systems.

2002-04: Worked in the Robotics Branch andas ISS CAPCOM (spacecraft communicator).

2004-05: Lead ISS CAPCOM for Increment 10.

Currently: Assignedby ESA in May 2005 as ESA Lead Astronaut at JSC. Since September 2005 hasworked as Shuttle CAPCOM, as ISS Instructor CAPCOM, and in the ISS Branch aslead for systems and crew interfaces, heading up a team of 12.

Schlegel is assigned to the STS-122mission that will deliver the European Space Agency?s Columbus Laboratory to the InternationalSpace Station.

LastUpdated: February 2007

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