Christer Fuglesang

Arne Christer Fuglesang, born on 18 March 1957, is a Swedish physicist and an ESA astronaut. He made history when he became the first Swedish citizen to travel into space aboard the STS-116 Space Shuttle mission on 10 December 2006.

Before becoming an astronaut, Fuglesang was a Fellow at CERN and taught mathematics at the Royal Institute of Technology. He joined the European Astronaut Corps in 1992.

Fuglesang flew on two Space Shuttle missions and completed five spacewalks. He is notable for being the first person from outside the United States or Russian space programs to take part in more than three spacewalks. He is married and has three children.

Early life and education

Christer Fuglesang was born in Stockholm to a Swedish mother and a Norwegian father. He finished school at Bromma Gymnasium in Stockholm in 1975. He studied at the Royal Institute of Technology and got a degree in engineering physics in 1981. Later, he earned a doctorate in experimental particle physics from Stockholm University in 1987.

He married Elisabeth Fuglesang in 1983, and they have three children. Fuglesang enjoys working with science and learning new things. In 2012, he was honored by the Royal Institute of Technology for his achievements.

Career

Fuglesang worked at CERN in Geneva studying particles. In 1992, he joined the European Astronaut Corps of the European Space Agency.

He trained for space missions and was selected to be part of backup crews. In 1996, he began training with NASA and became ready to fly as a mission specialist. He helped with space station operations and worked on experiments about light flashes seen by astronauts.

Missions

STS-116

Christer Fuglesang's first trip to space was in 2006 as a mission specialist on STS-116. This mission, called the Celsius Mission by ESA, helped build and change the crew of the International Space Station. It was named after Anders Celsius, a Swedish astronomer who created the Celsius temperature scale. The mission was supposed to launch in 2003 using the Space Shuttle Atlantis, but it was delayed for over three years because of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. When it finally launched in December 2006, it used the Space Shuttle Discovery instead, and Fuglesang was still part of the crew.

Spacewalks during STS-116 Mission

• First spacewalk to install the P5 truss segment with Astronaut Robert Curbeam, on December 12.
• Second spacewalk to help rewire the power system of the space station, also with Robert Curbeam, on December 14.
• Third spacewalk to fix a problem with a solar panel, again with Robert Curbeam, on December 18. This spacewalk lasted 6 hours and 38 minutes.

Fuglesang spent a total of 18 hours and 15 minutes spacewalking during STS-116.

'Maximum Time Aloft'

Fuglesang, who was once a Swedish national Frisbee champion, brought one of his frisbees to the space station. On December 15, 2006, he set a new "world record" by spinning a frisbee for 20 seconds in the microgravity environment of the space station. This was done during a live interview with a space exhibition in Stockholm, Sweden. The record was recognized by the World Flying Disc Federation and called a 'Galactic Record' because it happened outside Earth's atmosphere.

STS-128

On July 15, 2008, Fuglesang was chosen to be a mission specialist on STS-128, which launched on August 28–29, 2009. This mission delivered equipment that allowed the space station crew to grow from three to six astronauts.

During STS-128, Fuglesang became the first spacewalker outside of Russia and the United States to do more than three spacewalks. After completing two more spacewalks, he had done a total of five.

EVA

Fuglesang's total time spacewalking from five spacewalks adds up to 31 hours and 54 minutes, placing him 29th in history as of September 14, 2009.

Autobiography

In 2007, Fuglesang shared his life story in a photo book with Swedish journalist Johan Tell. He grew up during the space age, inspired by early astronauts and space travelers. He even attended a memorial for the famous astronaut Gagarin in 1993.

Award and honors

Christer Fuglesang has received several important awards for his work. He was given an Honorary Doctorate from Umeå University in Sweden in 1999 and from the University of Nova Gorica in Slovenia in 2007. He also received the NASA Space Flight Medal in 2007, H. M. The King's Medal in Stockholm the same year, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 2010.