Marianne Merchez facts for kids

Marianne Merchez was born on October 25, 1960, in Uccle, Belgium. She is a talented Belgian doctor and a former European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut.

A Doctor and a Pilot

Marianne Merchez is not just a doctor; she is also a skilled pilot! She studied at the Catholic University of Louvain to become a medical doctor. After that, she specialized in aerospace medicine and industrial medicine. This means she knows a lot about how space travel and different jobs can affect people's health.

She also has a special license to fly airplanes. She used to be a co-pilot on a Boeing 737, which is a large passenger plane. Imagine being able to fly a huge plane and also understand how to keep astronauts healthy in space!

Joining the Astronaut Team

In 1992, Marianne Merchez was chosen to join the European Astronaut Corps. This is a group of highly trained people who work for the European Space Agency. They prepare for missions into space. Being selected as an astronaut is a very big achievement, as only a few people are chosen from many applicants.

Even though she was selected, Marianne Merchez did not fly any space missions. However, her training and knowledge were very important to the space agency.

Life After Space Training

Marianne Merchez is married to another former ESA astronaut, Maurizio Cheli. Together, they wrote a book called Tutto in un istante: le decisioni che tracciano il viaggio di una vita. This book shares their thoughts on how important decisions shape a person's life journey.

Marianne Merchez's career shows how people can combine different skills, like medicine and flying, to achieve amazing things. She is a great example of someone who reached for the stars, even if her path didn't lead her directly into space.