Leroy Chiao
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Leroy Chiao (Template:Zh-cp) (born August 28, 1960) is an American NASA astronaut who was stationed on board the International Space Station between 2004 and 2005.
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Early life
Chiao was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and raised in Danville, California. Chiao graduated from Monte Vista High School in Danville in 1978. In 1983 he received a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. He earned a master of science degree and then a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1985 and 1987, respectively.
Pre-NASA professional experience
Upon graduation, Chiao worked at Hexcel Corporation in Dublin, California from 1987 to 1989. He was involved in process, manufacturing and engineering research on advanced aerospace materials; worked on a joint NASA-JPL/Hexcel project to develop a practical, optically correct, precision segment reflector made entirely of advanced polymer composite materials for future space telescopes; as well as working on cure modeling and finite element analysis. In January 1989, Chiao joined the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, where he was involved in processing research for fabrication of filament-wound and thick-section aerospace composites. Chiao also developed and demonstrated a mechanistic cure model for graphite fiber/epoxy composite material (see Graphite-reinforced plastic). An instrument-rated pilot, Dr. Chiao has logged over 2500 flight hours in a variety of aircraft.
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NASA experience
Selected by NASA in January 1990, Chiao became an astronaut in July 1991. He is qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. His technical assignments to date include: Space Shuttle flight software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL); crew equipment, Spacelab, Spacehab and payloads issues for the Astronaut Office Mission Development Branch; Training and Flight Data File issues; and Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) issues for the EVA Branch. Chiao also served as Chief of the Astronaut Office EVA Branch.
A veteran of three space flights, Chiao flew as a mission specialist on STS-65 in 1994, STS-72 in 1996 and STS-92 in 2000. Chiao had logged over 36 days and 12.5 hours in space, including over 26 EVA hours in four space walks, prior to his mission aboard the International Space Station.
As of 2005, Chiao is assigned as Commander and NASA Science Officer of Expedition 10, which launched aboard a Soyuz on 14 October 2004.
In addition to being fluent in Mandarin, Chiao learned Russian as part of the International Space Station program. On November 2 2004, Dr. Chiao voted in the 2004 United States presidential election from aboard the International Space Station, making him the first American to vote in a presidential election while in space.
Special honors
- Invited to give technical seminars on honeycomb material and bonded panels, as well as cure modeling of aerospace composite materials, at the Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials, and at the Changsha Institute of Technology, 5th Department, in the People's Republic of China
- Invited contributor to the International Encyclopedia of Composite Materials
- Listed in Who's Who in Science and Engineering
- Recipient of Distinguished Alumni Award from University of California, Santa Barbara
- Keynote Commencement Speaker for the Departments of Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley, and at Santa Barbara, in 1996
- Recipient of three NASA Space Flight Medals, and numerous awards including two NASA Exceptional Service Awards.
Detailed space flight experience
STS-65 Columbia (July 8–July 23, 1994) launched from and returned to land at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, setting a new flight duration record for the Space Shuttle program at that time. The STS-65 mission flew the second International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2). During the 15-day flight the seven-member crew conducted more than 80 experiments focusing on materials and life sciences research in microgravity. The STS-65 mission was accomplished in 236 orbits of the Earth, traveling 6.1 million miles in 353 hours and 55 minutes.
STS-72 Endeavour (January 11–January 20, 1996) was a nine-day mission during which the crew retrieved the Space Flyer Unit (launched from Japan ten months earlier), and deployed and retrieved the OAST-Flyer. Chiao performed two spacewalks designed to demonstrate tools and hardware, and evaluate techniques to be used in the assembly of the International Space Station. In completing this mission, Chiao logged a total of 214 hours and 41 seconds in space, including just over thirteen EVA hours, and traveled 3.7 million miles in 142 orbits of the Earth.
STS-92 Discovery (October 11–October 24, 2000) was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida and returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California. During the 13-day flight, the seven member crew attached the Z1 Truss and Pressurized Mating Adapter 3 to the International Space Station using Discovery’s robotic arm and performed four space walks to configure these elements. This expansion of the ISS opened the door for future assembly missions and prepared the station for its first resident crew. Chiao totaled 13 hours and 16 minutes of EVA time in two space walks. The STS-92 mission was accomplished in 202 orbits, traveling 5.3 million miles in 12 days, 21 hours, 40 minutes and 25 seconds.
ISS Expedition 10 October 9, 2004–April 24 2005, Chiao was the Commander of Expedition 10 on the International Space Station.
Personal Life
Chiao married his wife, Karen, in 2003. He enjoys flying his Grumman Tiger aircraft, as well as skiing.
See also
Other Chinese-American astronauts with NASA: Edward Tsang Lu, Taylor Gun-Jin Wang.
External links
- NASA biography (http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/chiao.html)
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