Franco Malerba

Franco Egidio Malerba (born October 10, 1946 in Busalla near Genoa ) is an Italian engineer , physicist and former astronaut . He was the first Italian in space.

Life

Malerba graduated from high school in 1965 and then studied electrical engineering at the University of Genoa . After graduating in 1970, he was accepted into a research degree program in biophysics , which he graduated with a doctorate in 1974. During this time he worked a. a. also at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche and at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda , Maryland , USA . This was followed by military service in the navy and then activities at various research institutes.

From 1976 to 1989 Malerba worked for the company Digital Equipment Italia . In 1977, ESA selected Malerba as a candidate for the payload specialist on the first Spacelab mission. He later trained at the Johnson Space Center in Houston , Texas . From July 31 to August 8, 1992, Malerba participated in the space shuttle mission STS-46 . In 2000 the asteroid (9897) Malerba was named after him.

From 1994 to 1999 Malerba was a member of the European Parliament for Forza Italia . Today he works for the company Alenia Spazio .

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personal data
SURNAME	Malerba, Franco
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Malerba, Franco Egidio (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Italian astronaut and politician, MEP
DATE OF BIRTH	October 10, 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH	Busalla near Genoa