Frank De Winne

Military career

De Winne started his military flying at the elementary flying school of the Belgian Air Component in Goetsenhoven. After graduating, he flew Dassault Mirage 5 jets for the Air Force and later worked on Mirage safety at SAGEM in Paris. In 1991 he finished the Staff Course at the Defence College in Brussels with top honors. The next year he earned his test pilot degree from the British Empire Test Pilots' School in Boscombe Down, also winning the McKenna Trophy.

From December 1992, as a Major, he served as a test pilot for the Belgian Air Force. From January 1994 to April 1995 he handled flight safety for the 1st Fighter Wing at Beauvechain air base. From April 1995 to July 1996 he was senior test pilot for the European Participating Air Forces at Edwards Air Force Base in California, focusing on radar testing for the F-16 mid-life update. From 1996 to August 1998 he was senior test pilot for the Belgian Air Force, responsible for all test programs and pilot-vehicle interfaces for future aircraft and software updates.

On 12 February 1997, while flying an F-16 Fighting Falcon over a densely populated area near Leeuwarden, he faced engine problems and an onboard computer failure. He chose to land the crippled plane at Leeuwarden air base rather than eject over people or crash in the IJsselmeer, earning the Joe Bill Dryden Semper Viper Award as the first non-American recipient. In August 1998 he became commander of the 349 Squadron at Kleine Brogel. During NATO Operation Allied Force in the Balkans, he commanded the Dutch-Belgian Deployable Air Task Force and flew 17 combat sorties.

For this, the Dutch government awarded him the degree of Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau. He has logged over 2,300 flying hours in Mirage, F-16, Tornado, and Jaguar aircraft. He also chairs the Belgian Armed Forces Flying Personnel Association and holds the rank of Brigadier-General.

Astronaut career

In October 1998 De Winne was selected as an astronaut candidate by the European Space Agency. He joined the European Astronaut Corps in January 2000, based at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany. He provided technical support for the X38 Crew Return Vehicle project within the Directorate of Manned Spaceflight and Microgravity at the European Space Research and Technology Centre in Noordwijk, Netherlands. In August 2001 he began training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center near Moscow, Russia, which included basic ISS training and Soyuz flight engineer training.

His first spaceflight, from 30 October to 10 November 2002, was as a flight engineer to the ISS aboard Soyuz TMA-1, returning on Soyuz TM-34. During that mission he successfully carried out 23 experiments in life and physical sciences and education. He served as backup crew member for Léopold Eyharts of ISS Expedition 16. On 20 September 2007 ESA announced his six-month ISS mission in 2009.

On 21 November 2008 NASA announced he would command Expedition 21. He launched on Soyuz TMA-15 on 27 May 2009, becoming the first ESA astronaut to command a space mission.

Did You Know?

• De Winne was ennobled as a viscount in the Belgian nobility on 20 December 2002 for his space achievements.
• He appeared in pre-recorded segments from the ISS during U2's 360° Tour concerts, reciting lines from the band's songs.