Umberto Guidoni
Umberto Guidoni is an Italian astrophysicist, former ASI/ESA astronaut, shuttle , and science communicator. He became the first European astronaut to visit the International , linking Italian payload-specialist work with the early ISS assembly era.
- Born
- August 18, 1954
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Rome, Lazio,Italy
Flights
2
Spacewalks
0
EVA time
N/A
In space
27 days, 15 hours, 12 minutes
Bio
Guidoni trained as a physicist in Rome and worked in solar, plasma, and high-energy astrophysics before entering human spaceflight through Italy's space program. His technical career made him a natural fit for payload and laboratory work aboard the shuttle.
He first flew on STS-75 in 1996, the second Tethered Satellite System mission. He returned to orbit on STS-100 in 2001, an ISS assembly mission that delivered the Canadarm2 robotic arm and the Raffaello logistics module.
After spaceflight, Guidoni moved into public science, writing, education, and European politics. He served in the European Parliament from 2004 to 2009, making him one of the astronauts whose postflight career crossed into elected office.