RSC
Energia bio
(Feb 04) |
 Leroy
CHIAO
ISS Flight Engineer,
Soyuz TMA TS Flight Engineer,
NASA Astronaut, USA
DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH: August 28, 1960, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA,
but considers Danville, California, to be his hometown.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Monte Vista High School, Danville, California,
in 1978; received a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering
from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1983, and a master of science
degree and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of California,
Santa Barbara, in 1985 and 1987, respectively.
FAMILY STATUS: Single.
AWARDS: Space Flight Medals, NASA (1994, 1996, 2000).
HOBBY: He is an amateur pilot, has a license to be an instrument-rated
pilot and logged over 2000 flight hours in a variety of aircraft. He enjoys
basketball and skiing.
WORK EXPERIENCE:
From 1987 to 1989 Dr. Chiao worked for the Hexcel Corporation in Dublin,
California; he was involved in the development and engineering research
on the advanced aerospace materials.
In January 1989 he joined the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
in Livermore, California, where he was engaged in the research on the development
of composite materials.
In January 1990 he was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate.
In July 1991 he passed a course of general space training and was qualified
as a mission specialist.
He was engaged in the Space Shuttle flight software verification in
the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL), worked as Chief of
the Astronaut Office EVA Branch. He is a veteran of three space flights
and has logged a total of 36 days, 13 hours, 39 minutes in space, including
four space walks of the total duration of 1 day, 2 hours, 18 minutes.
On July 8-23, 1994 he performed his first flight as a mission specialist
of the Columbia Shuttle (STS-65) with the second International Microgravity
Laboratory (IML-2) onboard. The flight duration was 14 days, 17 hours,
55 minutes, it set a new flight record for the Space Shuttle program at
that time. The biomedical and life sciences research in microgravity was
the main flight task.
On January 11-20, 1996 he performed the second flight as a mission
specialist of the Endeavour Shuttle (STS-72). During this mission the crew
retrieved the Japanese Space Flyer Unit launched 10 months earlier by the
Japanese launch vehicle H-2, and also deployed and in two days of the autonomous
flight retrieved the OAST-Flyer with the scientific equipment. In this
flight Dr. Chiao performed two space walks of the total duration of 13
hours, 2 minutes. During these space walks the following was evaluated:
tools, hardware and also techniques to be used in the assembly of the International
Space Station. The flight duration was 8 days, 22 hours, 1 minute.
On October 11-24, 2000 he performed the third flight as a mission specialist
onboard the Discovery Shuttle (STS-92). The main flight task was to deliver
and assemble the Z1 Truss and Pressurized Mating Adapter PMA-3 on the International
Space Station. In this flight he performed two space walks of the total
duration of 13 hours, 16 minutes. The Discovery crew prepared the ISS for
arrival of the first long-duration expedition. The flight duration was
12 days, 21 hours, 43 minutes.
Presently he is training for a space flight in the ISS-9 backup crew
as flight engineer and science officer.
February 2004
Based on the data of Lindon B. Johnson Space Center, NASA, USA. |
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