Umberto Guidoni
- STS -75 ( 1996)
- STS- 100 (2001)
Guidoni ( born August 18, 1954 in Rome, Italy ) is an Italian physicist, former astronaut and Member of the European Parliament.
Life
Guidoni was born in the Italian capital Rome, where he spent his entire childhood. After his graduation in 1973 he enrolled at the University La Sapienza in Rome and studied physics and astrophysics later. 1978, the doctoral degree, he was ( with honors ) awarded Astrophysics in the tray. He then received a scholarship from the governmental National Committee for Nuclear Energy and worked in the field of thermonuclear fusion. In 1983, he took for a year a job as a scientist at the National Committee for Renewable Energy ENEA ( Ente Nazionale energy alternative). In the Committee on Solar Energy, he was responsible for the development of solar collectors.
In 1984 he moved to the Institute of Space Physics IFSI ( Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario ) of the National Research Council CNR ( Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche ), where he developed the experiment RETE ( Research on Electrodynamic Tether Effects) for later Tethered Satellite TSS ( Tethered Satellite System).
When the U.S. space shuttle was designed in the early 1970s, there were the two Italian scientist Professor Colombo and Dr. Grossi, who proposed the use of a satellite on a leash on the Shuttle. And in 1984 signed the space agencies of the United States (NASA) and Italy (ASI ) an agreement which provided for the construction of such a system: the project TSS was born.
From 1985 worked Guidoni the data processing system for RETE and helped the IFSI set up a plasma chamber. Thus it was possible to simulate the electro-dynamic phenomena of a tethered satellite. Three years later he was appointed Project Scientist for RETE, where he was responsible for the integration of the experiment in the TSS.
Astronauts activity
Guidoni had immediately notified when the Italian Space Agency ASI sought new candidates as payload experts for a shuttle flight with the TSS (already in the autumn of 1984 the first Italian TSS group had been introduced ). The selection began in February 1989 Towards the end of the year were four candidates remained. C. Batalli - Cosmovici, U. Guidoni, F. Malerba and F. Rossitto. Rossitto still took his departure from the team in 1989 to take up a post at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne ESA. The other three began in January 1990 with her training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston (Texas ).
End of September 1991 nominated the NASA Franco Malerba as payload specialist for the first TSS flight on STS -46 and Guidoni to his replacement. During this mission, experiments should be conducted with the Tethered Satellite TSS -1 in orbit, however, the rope that connected the satellite with the space shuttle, so that the desired distance has not reached jammed. However, the satellite could be obtained again. Guidoni was during this mission one of the experiment accompanying experts in the ground station.
Just four years later, the experiment should be repeated. This time came Guidoni used and launched on 22 February 1996 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on mission STS - 75th Although this time the rope broke shortly before reaching the planned length of 20 kilometers, valuable data could be obtained. It was found that the energy was far more effective by a Tethered Satellite, had predicted as theoretical models.
From 1996 to 1998 Guidoni was formed together with the 16 astronauts group of NASA mission specialist. In March 1998 he was assigned to the newly created Astronaut Corps of the European Space Agency (ESA).
On his second space flight launched Guidoni on 19 April 2001 with the Space Shuttle Endeavour STS -100 mission. This flight led to the International Space Station (ISS) and used for the first time the Italian logistics module Raffaello. Guidoni was the first Western European visitors to the ISS.
Member of the European Parliament
His career as an astronaut ended Guidoni favor of a political career, when he was elected on the list of Italian Communists in the European Parliament in June 2004. He belongs to the GUE / NGL Group, and is a member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, the Committee on Budgetary Control, and the Delegation for relations with the United States. He also serves on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the Delegation for relations with Japan as his deputy.
He is married to the Milanese Maria Rita Bartolacci. The couple has a son.