André Kuipers
hij is egt mooi | |
|---|---|
 Andre Kuipers takes a break from training to pose for a photo at Johnson Space Center (JSC). | |
| Born | October 5, 1958 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Status | Active |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Space career | |
| ESA Astronaut | |
Time in space | 10 days, 20 hours, 53 minutes |
| Selection | 1998 ESA Group |
| Missions | DELTA (i.e. Soyuz TMA-4 and Soyuz TMA-3), |
Mission insignia |   |
André Kuipers (Dutch: [ˈɑndreɪ ˈkœʏpərs] ) (born in Amsterdam, October 5, 1958) 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 return to space. On August 5, 2009, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Maria van der Hoeven, announced Kuipers was selected as an astronaut for ISS Expeditions 30 and 31. He is slated to be launched to space in December 2011 and return to Earth by June, 2012.[1]
Personal life and education
André Kuipers was born on October 5, 1958 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He graduated from high school in Amsterdam in 1977, and received a physician degree from the University of Amsterdam in 1987. He is married and has three daughters and a son.[2]
When interviewed about his youth, Kuipers stated that he dreamed of becoming an astronaut ever since he was a teenager.[3] His dreams became reality when he was selected to the European Astronaut Corps in 1998.
Space flight experience
As of September 2009, André Kuipers has flown one space mission: the DELTA mission. In May 2009, he served as the backup of Belgian astronaut Frank de Winne, who later became the Expedition 21 commander, during the latter part of his six-month mission. Kuipers himself has been selected to fly a similar mission from December 2011 to June 2012.
DELTA Mission
Launch and docking
Using the Soyuz TMA-4, mounted atop a Soyuz-FG rocket, Kuipers and his fellow cosmonauts Gennady Padalka (Russia) and Michael Fincke (USA) rocketed towards the ISS in the early morning of April 19, 2004. The spacecraft flawlessly docked to the ISS two days later.
Experiments
As part of his so-called DELTA mission, Kuipers conducted 21 experiments[4] in orbit on a wide range of subjects: physiology, biology, microbiology, medicine, technological development,[disambiguation needed] physics and Earth observation.[5] Maybe the best-known experiment involved plant growth: Seeds in Space. Kuipers cooperated with primary school children in the Netherlands to compare results of plant growth from orbit with those from Earth.
Landing
Padalka and Fincke remained on board the ISS for six months, as the Expedition 9 crew.
Kuipers returned to Earth nearly eleven days after launch on April 30, joined by leaving ISS crew members Alexander Kaleri (Russia) and Michael Foale (USA), who thereby ended their six-month stay on board the ISS.
Future flight
On November 26, 2008, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Maria van der Hoeven pushed for a second, six-month mission of André Kuipers in 2011.[6] In the same speech, she said she would support the ISS project with an extra 'few' million euros.[6]
After a call with ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain on August 4, 2009, Maria van der Hoeven could finally confirm on August 5 that André Kuipers would be making a second space flight, starting in December 2011.[7] Kuipers will remain in space for approximately six months and return in June 2012. He is the first astronaut to have been selected for ISS Expeditions 30 and 31.
References
- ^ "ESA astronaut André Kuipers to spend six months on the ISS starting in 2011". Retrieved September 21, 2009.
- ^ "André Kuipers". Retrieved January 27, 2008.
- ^ "De droom wordt werkelijkheid" (in Dutch). April 15, 2004, prior to his first space flight. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "List of Experiments". Retrieved November 26, 2008.
- ^ "Dutch ESA astronaut goes to ISS with hefty package of scientific experiments". Retrieved November 26, 2008.
- ^ a b "Kuipers moet uiterlijk in 2011 de ruimte in" (in Dutch). Retrieved September 21, 2009.
- ^ "André Kuipers opnieuw de ruimte in" (in Dutch). Retrieved September 21, 2009.
External links
