Thomas Reiter
| Thomas Arthur Reiter | |
|---|---|
 |
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| ESA Astronaut | |
| Nationality | German |
| Status | Retired |
| Born |
23 May 1958 Frankfurt, West Germany |
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Other occupation
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Test pilot |
| Rank | Brigadier General, Luftwaffe (Bundeswehr) |
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Time in space
|
350d 05h 44min |
| Selection | 1992 ESA Group |
| Missions | Soyuz TM-22, Euromir 95, STS-121, Expedition 13, Expedition 14, STS-116 |
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Mission insignia
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| Retirement | September 30, 2007 |
| Awards |
  
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Thomas Arthur Reiter (born 23 May 1958 in Frankfurt, West Germany) is a retired European astronaut and is a Brigadier General in the German Air Force currently working as ESA Interagency Coordinator and Advisor to the Director General at the European Space Agency (ESA). He was one of the top 25 astronauts in terms of total time in space. With his wife and two sons he lives near Oldenburg in Lower Saxony.
He graduated from Goethe-High School in Neu-Isenburg in 1977. In 1982, Reiter received his diploma in aerospace engineering from the Bundeswehr University Munich. In 2010 the university awarded him an honorary doctorate degree. 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 was 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. Discovery departed 15 July, leaving Reiter behind with Expedition 13. He later became part of Expedition 14 before returning to Earth aboard Discovery during the STS-116 mission.
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Wikipedia