Franco Malerba

• STS -46 (1992)

Franco Egidio Malerba ( born October 10, 1946 in Busalla in Genoa ) is an Italian engineer, physicist and former astronaut. He was the first Italian in space.

Life

Malerba graduated in 1965 from grammar school and then studied electrical engineering at the University of Genoa. After graduating in 1970, he was included in a research study program in the field of biophysics, which he completed in 1974 with the top grade. During this time he worked, inter alia, also the CNR and the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, USA. It joined the military service in the Navy and then activities at various research institutes.

From 1976 to 1989 Malerba worked for the Digital Equipment Italia. In 1977, the ESA Dr. Malerba as a candidate for the payload specialist of the first Spacelab mission. Later he was trained at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. From July 31 to August 8, 1992 Malerba participated in the Space Shuttle mission STS -46 in part.

Malerba now works at the company Alenia Spazio.