Thomas Reiter
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Thomas Arthur Reiter (born May 23 1958 in Frankfurt, Germany) is an astronaut with the European Space Agency and is a colonel (Oberst) in the Luftwaffe. As of 2006, he was one of the top 50 astronauts in terms of total time in space.
In 1982, Reiter received his diploma in astronautics. He completed his training as a pilot in Germany and Texas.
He served as an onboard engineer for the Euromir 95 (Soyuz TM-22) mission to the Mir space station. During his 179 days aboard Mir, he carried out two EVAs and became the first German astronaut to perform a spacewalk.
Between 1996 and 1997, he underwent additional training on the Soyuz spacecraft and was awarded a "Soyuz Return Commander" certificate, qualifying him to command a three-person Soyuz crew during its return from space.
He trained for a six-month mission to the International Space Station and has been launched on the Discovery STS-121 mission to join Expedition 13. The launch date was set for 1 July 2006, but was moved to 2 July, and finally launched on 4 July 2006 due to weather delays [link]. Discovery departed 15 July, leaving Reiter behind with Expedition 13.
His mission has been designated "[Astrolab]" by the European Space Agency.
External links
- [2006 Pre-Flight Interview: Thomas Reiter]
- [European Space Agency biography]
- [ESA astronaut to carry out first European long-duration mission on the ISS]
- [Spacefacts biography of Thomas Reiter]
- [NASA STS-121 Mission]
- [Official NASA Biography]
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