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Michel TogniniAstronaut
Date of Birth: 30.09.1949
Country:  France |
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Biography of Michel Tognini
Michel Tognini, a French military test pilot, was born on September 30, 1949, in Vincennes, France. He received his education from various institutions including the Kasan High School in Paris, the military school in Grenoble, and the French Air Force Academy in Salon-de-Provence.
Service in the French Air Force
From 1973 to 1981, Tognini served as a fighter pilot in the French Air Force. In 1983, he transitioned into test work, accumulating a total flight time of approximately 4000 hours on 80 different types of aircraft.
Space Activities
Since September 1985, Tognini has been part of the CNES astronaut corps. Starting from 1986, he underwent training for spaceflight at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. He was also part of the backup crew for the Soyuz TM-7 mission. From July 27 to August 10, 1992, Tognini embarked on his first spaceflight as a research cosmonaut on the Soyuz TM-15 spacecraft, participating in the Russian-French "Antares" program. The mission lasted 14 days, 14 hours, 56 minutes, and 13 seconds.
In 1995, Tognini began preparing for his second spaceflight at the Johnson Space Center. From July 23 to 28, 1999, he served as a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Columbia for the STS-93 program. The mission lasted 4 days, 22 hours, 49 minutes, and 35 seconds. In total, Tognini accumulated 19 days, 13 hours, 45 minutes, and 48 seconds of spaceflight experience.
Awards and Honors
Michel Tognini has received several prestigious awards and honors throughout his career. He is an Officer of the Legion of Honour and has been awarded the Soviet Order of Friendship of Peoples as well as the Russian Order of Friendship. In addition, he has been honored with the NASA Space Flight Medal in 1999.
