Andre Kuipers
From The Space Library
 Andre Kuipers | |
| Birth Name | Andre Kuipers |
|---|---|
| Birth Date | May 10 1958 |
| Occupation | Astronaut, European Space Agency |
Contents |
Personal Data
Born 5 October 1958, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Married. He has three daughters and a son. Andre enjoys flying, scuba diving, skiing, hiking, travelling and history.
Education
In 1977, Andre Kuipers graduated from Van der Waals Lyceum (now Amstel Lyceum), Amsterdam. Received a Medical Doctor degree from the University of Amsterdam in 1987.
Experience
During his medical studies, Andre Kuipers worked in the Vestibular Department of the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where he was involved in research on the equilibrium system. In 1987 and 1988, as an officer of the Royal Netherlands Air Force Medical Corps, he studied accidents and incidents caused by spatial disorientation of pilots of high-performance aircraft. In 1989 and 1990, he worked for the Research and Development department of the Netherlands Aerospace Medical Centre in Soesterberg. He was involved in research on the Space Adaptation Syndrome, contact lenses for pilots, vestibular apparatus, blood pressure and cerebral blood flow in both high acceleration conditions in a human centrifuge and in microgravity conditions in aeroplanes. In addition, he performed medical examinations of pilots and medical monitoring of human centrifuge training, and gave lessons to pilots on the physiological aspects of flying.
Spaceflight Experience
NASA/ESA EXPERIENCE: In July 1999, Andre Kuipers joined the European Astronaut Corps of the European Space Agency, whose homebase is at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. Since 1991, Kuipers has been involved in the preparation, coordination, baseline data collection and ground control of physiological experiments developed by the European Space Agency for space missions. In particular, he was a Project Scientist for Anthrorack, a human physiology facility that flew on the D-2 Spacelab mission in 1993, and for two payloads, for lung and bone physiology, that flew on board the Mir space station during the six-month Euromir 95 mission. He was then involved in the development of the Torque Velocity Dynamometer (TVD) that flew on the LMS Spacelab mission in 1996, the Muscle Atrophy Research and Exercise System (MARES), a device used in muscle research on board the Space Station, and an electronic muscle stimulator (PEMS) to be used on astronauts. As well as participating in astronaut training, members of the European Astronaut Corps are assigned to projects involved in the assembly and on-board operations of the International Space Station. Andre Kuipers was assigned to the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), Noordwijk, The Netherlands, continuing his former work for the Microgravity Payloads Division within the Directorate of Human Spaceflight. Until the start of preparations for his flight, Andre supported an active research programme in the field of physiological adaptation to weightlessness in humans. He coordinated the European experiments on lung function and blood pressure regulation, using ESA's specially developed apparatus, the Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System (ARMS), which was launched with Space Shuttle mission STS-107. During two Soyuz missions to the International Space Station with ESA astronauts, Soyuz 6S and 7S, Andre Kuipers supported ESA's ground team in the Russian Control Centre TsUP as "Crew Interface Coordinator". He was also backup for Pedro Duque for the Soyuz 7S mission, which took place in October 2003. Following his spaceflight in 2004, Kuipers performed post flight activities and collateral duties at EAC and ESTEC. Collateral duties included support to ESA payload development, parabolic flight campaigns, healthcare spin-off, as well as to ground support for missions of other ESA astronauts. Kuipers also qualified as Eurocom, the crew communicator in Columbus Control Centre (COL-CC) in Munich, Germany. In 2005, he was assigned as backup for the first Canadian ISS increment. He received training on the US and Russian ISS segments, as well as operator training in robotics and EVA training. From 2007, Kuipers trained as backup to ESA astronaut Frank De Winne for Europe's second long-duration spaceflight to the International Space Station. He received user, operator or specialist level training on the ISS Russian segment, US segment, Japanese elements, Columbus module and payloads and the Automated Transfer Vehicle. From May 2009, Kuipers was assigned to Eurocom duties at COL-CC and EAC in support of De Winne's six-month mission. In August 2009, Andre Kuipers was assigned to Expedition 30/31, a long-duration mission to the International Space Station that is planned to take place from December 2011 to June 2012. His ISS training, which will take place in Russia, Germany, Japan, Canada and in the United States, starts in October 2009. SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: In December 2002, Andre Kuipers was assigned as a Flight Engineer for a Soyuz flight to the International Space Station (ISS). The DELTA Mission, sponsored by the Dutch government, within the framework of an agreement between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency, took place from April 19-30, 2004. The flight had three objectives. First, the exchange of the Soyuz spacecraft which serves as a ISS crew lifeboat for six months. Second, together with Andre, the new permanent crew was brought up to the Station, in exchange for the old crew, who returned with him to Earth. Third, Andre performed 21 experiments in the field of human physiology, biology, technology and education.
Special Honours
Other Information
May-11
