Klaus-Dietrich Flade
Klaus-Dietrich Flade is a German test pilot and former German Aerospace Center astronaut who flew to Mir in 1992. His mission came at a transitional moment: Soyuz TM-14 was the first crewed Soyuz mission after the collapse of the Soviet Union and carried German research into the Russian station program.
- Born
- August 23, 1952
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Büdesheim,West Germany
Flights
1
Spacewalks
N/A
EVA time
N/A
In space
7 days, 21 hours, 57 minutes
Bio
Flade joined the German Air Force, studied aerospace engineering at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, and trained as a test pilot before astronaut selection. He was selected in 1990 for Germany's Euromir 92 mission and trained for a short-duration Mir visit.
He launched aboard Soyuz TM-14 with Aleksandr Viktorenko and Aleksandr Kaleri in March 1992, conducted German experiments aboard Mir, and returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TM-13. His flight lasted just under eight days.
After his spaceflight, Flade returned to test-pilot work, including later Airbus flight-test activity. His career is a concise but important example of European participation in Mir before the International partnership matured.