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Gerhard Thiele |
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Gerhard Thiele |
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| BIRTHPLACE AND
DATE: Heidenheim/Brenz, Germany, 2 September 1953. EDUCATION: Gerhard Thiele graduated from the Friedrich-Schiller-Gymnasium in Ludwigsburg in 1972. He received a Bachelor of Science (Vordiplom) in Physics from the University of Munich in 1978 and a Master of Science in Physics from the University of Heidelberg in 1982. He graduated from Heidelberg University with a doctorate in Physics in 1985. FAMILY: Married, four children. RECREATIONAL INTERESTS: Enjoys playing clarinet and music, philosophy, cooking, sports in particular badminton and hiking. ORGANIZATIONS: Member of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (German Physical Society), American Geophysical Union and Weltraumforum Aachen at Reinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule, Aachen, Association of Space Explorers. EXPERIENCE: While researching for his doctorate, Gerhard Thiele worked for three years as a scientist at the Institute for Environmental Physics at Heidelberg University. In 1986 and 1987, he was a visiting fellow at Princeton University, where he participated in research in the area of ocean circulation and climate development. In 1988 he underwent training at the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DLR) as Science Astronaut for the D-2 mission. He was assigned as back-up Payload Specialist for the D-2 mission in 1992 and a year later participated in the mission as Crew Interface Coordinator in the ground control centre of the DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Gerhard Thiele became a member of the Space Programme Director's Working Group at DLR in 1994 and was appointed Head of Department at the DLR Crew Training Centre (CTC) in August 1995. He was a member of the 1996 Mission Specialist International Class at the NASA Johnson Space Centre. Successful completion of the programme, in April 1997, qualified him for various general technical assignments leading to selection for a Space Shuttle flight crew. Gerhard Thiele has published research reports in the field of geophysics, oceanography and psychology. He also holds a private pilot's licence. In August 1998, Gerhard Thiele joined ESA's single European astronaut corps, the homebase of which is ESA's European Astronaut Centre located in Cologne, Germany. SPACEFLIGHTS: In February 2000, Gerhard Thiele flew as a Mission Specialist on STS-99. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (X-SAR/SRTM) was dedicated to the topographical mapping of the Earth's surface. |
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