Michel Tognini facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michel Tognini
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| Born | 30 September 1949 Vincennes, France
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| Status | Retired |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Test Pilot |
| Space career | |
| CNES/ESA astronaut | |
| Rank | Brigadier General, French Air Force |
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Time in space
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18d 17h 46m |
| Selection | 1985 CNES Group 2, 1999 ESA Group |
| Missions | Soyuz TM-15/14, STS-93 |
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Mission insignia
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Michel Tognini, born on September 30, 1949, in Vincennes, France, is a French test pilot and engineer. He was also a high-ranking officer in the French Air Force. He is well-known for being a former CNES and ESA astronaut.
From 2005 to 2011, he was the head of the European Astronaut Centre. This is a special place for training astronauts, run by the European Space Agency. Michel Tognini has flown into space twice, spending a total of 19 days orbiting Earth. He has flown over 4,000 hours in 80 different types of aircraft. These include many fighter jets like the MiG-25. He can speak both English and Russian very well.
Contents
Becoming an Astronaut: Michel Tognini's Journey
Early Life and Education
Michel Tognini was born in Vincennes, France. After finishing high school in Paris, he went to a military school called EPA Grenoble. He then studied at the Ecole de l'Air, which is a famous French air force academy. He graduated from there in 1973.
Military Flying Career
After graduating, Tognini became a fighter pilot. He trained at a squadron called Normandie-Niemen. From 1974 to 1981, he flew fighter jets like the SMB2 and Mirage F1 for the French Air Force. During this time, he became a flight leader and then a flight commander.
In 1982, he went to the Empire Test Pilots' School in the United Kingdom. There, he earned his test pilot diploma. A test pilot flies new or changed aircraft to make sure they are safe and work correctly. Tognini then worked at the Cazaux Flight Test Center in France. He helped test many French aircraft and their weapon systems. He also made sure flights were safe for pilots and engineers.
Joining the Astronaut Corps
In 1985, France started looking for new astronauts. Michel Tognini was one of seven people chosen by CNES, the French space agency. In 1986, he went to Moscow for medical checks. He was later chosen as a backup crew member for the Soyuz TM-7 mission.
Even though he was still in the French Air Force, he focused on his space training. In November 1986, he went to the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. There, he trained to be an alternate cosmonaut for the Soviet-French ARAGATZ mission. This training included learning how to do spacewalks.
From 1989 to 1990, he helped with the Hermes program in France. This was a project for a European space shuttle.
Michel Tognini's Space Missions
Antares Mission: First Flight to Mir
In 1991, Tognini returned to Star City, Russia. He began training as a main crew member for the ANTARES mission. This was another Soviet-French space mission. While in Russia, he also practiced flying BURAN simulators. The Buran was a Soviet space shuttle.
Michel Tognini made his first trip to space on July 27, 1992. He launched aboard Soyuz TM-15 and returned on Soyuz TM-14 on August 10. He flew with two other cosmonauts, Anatoly Solovyev and Sergei Avdeyev. They linked up with the Mir space station. On Mir, they joined the crew already there and spent 14 days doing joint experiments. After his mission, he returned to France.
STS-93: Launching a Powerful Telescope
After more training in the United States, Tognini was ready for a Space Shuttle mission. He flew aboard Space Shuttle Columbia on STS-93. This mission took place from July 22 to July 27, 1999.
During this five-day mission, his main job was to help deploy the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. This is a very powerful telescope that studies X-rays from space. He was also ready to do a spacewalk if it was needed.
Michel Tognini stopped being an active astronaut in May 2003. After leading the European Astronaut Division, he became the head of the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Germany. Today, he works in France, helping with human space exploration. He also gives talks to the public. He is also the President of GAMA and President of Space Conseil.
Awards and Honors
- Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite (Knight of the National Order of Merit)
- Commander de l'Ordre de la Légion d'Honneur (Commander of the Order of the Legion of Honor)
- Soviet Order of Friendship between the People
- Russian Order of Friendship between the People
