Paolo A. Nespoli

Infobox Astronaut
name =Paolo A. Nespoli

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type =ESA Astronaut
status =Active
nationality =Italian
date_birth =Birth date and age|1957|4|6|mf=yes
place_birth =Giussano Brianza,a small city near Milan, Italy
occupation = Italian Army
rank =
selection =1998 ESA Group
time = 15 days, 2 hours, 23 minutes
mission = STS-120
insignia = |

Paolo Angelo Nespoli (Giussano Brianza April 6, 1957) is an Italian astronaut. He received his Bachelor's degree in Aerospace engineering in 1988 and his Master's degree in 1989 in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Polytechnic University in New York.Paolo Nespoli now lives in Verano Brianza (Milan). He is single.

Career

He joined the Italian Army in 1977.In July 1998, he was selected as an astronaut for Italian Space Agency (ASI) and in August 1998, Nespoli was assigned by the European Space Agency to train at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

STS-120

In October 23, 2007 Paolo launched on board STS-120 to the International Space Station; the Space Shuttle mission which delivered the " Harmony" module (formerly known as Node 2) to the International Space Station."Harmony" was built by Thales Alenia Space at its facility in Turin, Italy.He participated in the mission as a mission specialist and remained in space for 15 day, 2 hours and 23 minutes. During STS-120, he participated in the Esperia mission for the European Community.After landing, the crew of STS-120 visited Italy.

External links

* [http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMO2OB474F_index_0.html Name and designer logo revealed for Paolo Nespoli’s Shuttle mission to the ISS]
* [http://www.esa.int/esaHS/ESAN0VZUMOC_astronauts_0.html European Space Agency biography]
* [http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/nespoli.html NASA Biography]
* [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/nespoli_paolo.htm Spacefacts biography of Paolo A. Nespoli]
* [http://www.poly.edu/news/fullNews.php?id=1026 News Item from Polytechnic University]