Frank De Winne

If anyone knows how to fly, it’s Frank De Winne. As a soldier, he piloted fighter jets like the Mirage, F-16, and Tornado. But in 2002, he aimed even higher boarding a Soyuz spacecraft for a mission to the ISS.
In 2009, Frank returned to space for a longer mission, conducting scientific experiments and operating the Japanese robotic arm. That same year, he made history as the first non-American or non-Russian to command the ISS.
And if you think he retired after that, think again. Frank has since supported several space missions involving other European astronauts and continues his work as director of the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne.

Did you know this about Frank?

• He received several awards, including the Order of Orange-Nassau and honorary citizenship of Sint-Truiden.

• In 1993, he suffered a breakdown in the air with his F-16 fighter plane. Fortunately, he was able to get himself to safety by using the ejection seat.

• Frank was born in Ghent. In 2002, he became the second Belgian astronaut, after Dirk Frimout.

• While he was in space, the ISS was visited by the space shuttle Endeavour. At that time, thirteen people were aboard the space station, a record.

• In space, water conservation is essential—and Frank believes it should be on Earth too. That's why he became a UNICEF ambassador, focusing on raising awareness about global water issues.

• He could not get enough of floating. That is why Frank often made parabolic flights after his space flights. This involved gliding aboard a plane. Frank couldn’t get enough of floating in zero gravity, so after his space missions, he frequently participated in parabolic flights. These flights simulate weightlessness by gliding aboard a specially designed aircraft.