Paolo Nespoli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paolo A. Nespoli
OMRI
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| Born | 6 April 1957 Milan, Italy
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| Status | Retired |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Occupation | Italian Army |
| Space career | |
| ESA astronaut | |
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Time in space
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313 days 2 hours 36 minutes |
| Selection | 1998 ESA Group |
| Missions | STS-120, Soyuz TMA-20 (Expedition 26/27), Soyuz MS-05 (Expedition 52/53) |
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Mission insignia
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Paolo Angelo Nespoli (born 6 April 1957) is an Italian astronaut and engineer who worked for the European Space Agency (ESA). He has traveled to space three times.
His first trip was in 2007 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery for the STS-120 mission. In 2010, he went to space again on the Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft as a flight engineer for Expedition 26 and Expedition 27. Paolo Nespoli's third spaceflight was in July 2017 on Soyuz MS-05 for Expedition 52 and Expedition 53. Before he retired in 2019, he was the oldest active astronaut for the European Space Agency.
Contents
About Paolo Nespoli
Paolo Nespoli grew up in Verano Brianza, a town in northern Italy. He is married to Alexandra Ryabova and they have a daughter and a son.
Nespoli enjoys many hobbies. He likes scuba diving, flying planes, and photography. He also enjoys building electronic equipment and computer programs. He is a big fan of the Serie A football team Inter.
His Education and Training
Paolo Nespoli studied aerospace engineering. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1988 and his master's degree in 1989 from Polytechnic University in New York.
He is a trained engineer, a private pilot, and an advanced scuba diver. Because of his military background, he is also a master parachutist and a parachute instructor. He even worked as a Special Forces operator. He joined the Italian Army in 1977.
Awards and Honors
Paolo Nespoli has received several important awards:
- 2007 NASA Space Flight Medal
- 2007 Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Commendatore)
- 2009 Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity (Cavaliere)
- 2015 America Award from the Italy-USA Foundation
Astronaut Career
In July 1998, Paolo Nespoli was chosen to be an astronaut for the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Soon after, in August 1998, the European Space Agency sent him to train at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
In 2013, Nespoli took part in the ESA CAVES training in Sardinia. This training prepares astronauts for space missions by having them explore caves. He trained alongside other astronauts like Jeremy Hansen and Michael Barratt.
STS-120 Mission
On 23 October 2007, Paolo Nespoli launched into space on the Space Shuttle mission STS-120. This mission delivered the Harmony module to the International Space Station (ISS). The Harmony module was built in Turin, Italy.
Nespoli was a mission specialist on this flight. He stayed in space for 15 days, 2 hours, and 23 minutes. During STS-120, he also took part in the Esperia mission for the European Space Agency.
Expedition 26/27 'MagISStra' Mission
Paolo Nespoli served as a flight engineer for Expedition 26 and Expedition 27. This was Europe's third six-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
On 15 December 2010, Nespoli flew aboard the Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft. He launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with Russian cosmonaut Dmitri Kondratyev and NASA astronaut Catherine Coleman. The three crew members returned to Earth on 24 May 2011. This mission was called ‘MagISStra’ and was Paolo Nespoli's second time in space.
From December 2010 to May 2011, Paolo Nespoli had many duties on the ISS. He helped with the docking of Europe's second Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-2), named Johannes Kepler. This spacecraft delivered important supplies to the Station.
In early January 2011, Nespoli filmed most of the footage for the documentary film First Orbit. Because of his work, he is credited as the film's director of photography.
Nespoli also helped with the arrival of the second Japanese HII Transfer Vehicle (HTV-2). This uncrewed spacecraft resupplies the ISS. He was the main operator for attaching the HTV-2 to the ISS after NASA astronaut Catherine Coleman captured it. In May 2011, the Space Shuttle Endeavour delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) to the ISS.
During his time on Expedition 27, Paolo Nespoli's mother, Maria, passed away on 4 May 2011. The crew observed a minute of silence the next day during her funeral.
Paolo Nespoli performed many experiments on the Station. These included monitoring radiation and taking measurements that could help improve oil recovery on Earth. The mission's science program covered human research, fluid physics, radiation, biology, and technology demonstrations.
Nespoli also helped with scientific work in Europe's Columbus laboratory. He carried out several experiments for ESA, NASA, and the Japanese and Canadian space agencies. During the mission, Paolo took part in educational activities. He joined the "Mission X: Train Like an Astronaut" program, which taught children about health, well-being, and nutrition. He also participated in a greenhouse activity in space. Nespoli used ESA's new 3D camera to show images of the ISS.
As Paolo left the ISS on 23 May 2011 in the Soyuz TMA-20, he was able to take the first pictures of a Space Shuttle docked with the ISS from a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
Expedition 52/53 and the VITA Mission
Nespoli was part of Expedition 52/53, which began in 2017. He launched on Soyuz MS-05 on 28 July 2017. Nespoli's mission to the ISS was called VITA. VITA is an acronym that stands for Vitality, Innovation, Technology, and Ability. In Italian, "vita" also means "life," which connects to the scientific experiments and technologies needed for life in space. Other activities included outreach programs like Mission-X: Train Like an Astronaut and the European Astro Pi Challenge. In this challenge, European students run their own computer code on Raspberry Pi mini-computers installed on the ISS.
VITA Mission Logo
The logo for the VITA mission was created by ESA, the Italian Space Agency, and Nespoli himself. The circle in the logo represents Earth. The main goals of the mission are linked by a symbol that looks like an infinity sign. This symbol is called "Third Paradise" and was designed by Michelangelo Pistoletto. Inside the symbol, there is a DNA strand for scientific experiments, a book for education and culture, and Earth as a symbol of humanity. The colors in the logo represent the Italian flag.
Mission Highlights
During the VITA Mission, Nespoli completed more than 60 experiments. He also recorded the first content created in space specifically for Wikipedia. In his first month in orbit, Nespoli worked as a cinematographer for National Geographic Channel's One Strange Rock. He filmed scenes with astronaut Peggy Whitson that appeared in episode 10 of the series.
Nespoli returned to Earth on 14 December 2017. The Soyuz MS-05 landed after a mission that lasted 138 days, 16 hours, 56 minutes, and 37 seconds.
See also
In Spanish: Paolo Nespoli para niños
