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PHILIPPE PERRIN (COLONEL, FRENCH AIR FORCE)
CNES ASTRONAUT
PERSONAL DATA: Born January 6, 1963, in Meknes, Morocco. Considers Avignon, Provence, to be his hometown. Married to Cecile Bosc. They have two children. He enjoys scuba diving, skiing, sailing, hiking, travel, the history of sciences. His parents, Jean and Monique Perrin reside in the south of France. Cecile’s parents, Rene and Helene Bosc, reside in Provence, France.
EDUCATION: Entered the French “Ecole Polytechnique (Paris)” in 1982. Graduated as “Ingénieur Polytechnicien” (engineering degree) in 1985. Received his Test Pilot Licence in 1993 from the Ecole du Personnel Navigant d'Essais et de Réception (EPNER), the French Test Pilot School at Istres Air Force Base. Received his Air Line Pilot Certificate in 1995.
SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded his pilot’s wings “first of his class” in 1996. Recipient of two French Air Force awards for Flight Safety in 1989, the French Overseas Medal (Gulf War in 1991), and two French National Defense Medals.
EXPERIENCE: Prior to graduating from the Ecole Polytechnique, Perrin completed military duty in the French Navy, where he was trained in ship piloting and navigation, and spent 6 months at sea in the Indian Ocean. Following Ecole Polytechnique, he entered the French Air Force in 1985, was awarded his pilot’s wings in 1986, and assigned to the 33rd Reconnaissance Wing at Strasbourg Air Force Base (1987-1991). He flew the Mirage F1 CR and made detachments in Africa and Saudi Arabia. Upon graduating from EPNER, the French Test Pilot School, he worked on a variety of test programs while assigned to the Bretigny Test Center. In 1992, he was temporarily detached to the French Space Agency (CNES) and sent to Star City, Russia, where he trained for two months. In 1993, he reported to the 2nd Air Defense Wing of Dijon Air Force Base as Senior Operations Officer (Operation Southern Watch). In 1995, he returned to the Bretigny Test Center, as Chief Pilot Deputy, in charge of the development of the Mirage 2000-5. In July 1996, CNES announced his selection as an Astronaut and assigned him to attend NASA’s Astronaut Candidate Training in Houston, Texas.
Perrin has flown 26 combat missions and has logged over 2,500 flying hours in over 30 types (from jet fighters to Airbus).
NASA EXPERIENCE: Perrin reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. Having completed two years of training and evaluation, he is qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. Perrin was initially assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Spacecraft Systems/Operations Branch. He served as a mission specialist on STS-111 (2002) and has logged over 332 hours in space, including 19 hours and 31 minutes in three spacewalks.
SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-111 Endeavour (June 5-19, 2002). The STS-111 mission delivered a new ISS resident crew and a Canadian-built mobile base for the orbiting outpost’s robotic arm. The crew also performed late-notice repair of the station’s robot arm by replacing one of the arm’s joints. It was the second Space Shuttle mission dedicated to delivering research equipment to the space platform. Perrin performed three EVAs (spacewalks). STS-111 also brought home the Expedition-Four crew from their 6-1/2 month stay aboard the station. Mission duration was 13 days, 20 hours and 35 minutes. Unacceptable weather conditions in Florida necessitated a landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
JANUARY 2003
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