Colonel Luca Parmitano (born 27 September 1976 in
Paternò
Paternò ( scn, Patennò) is a southern Italian town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily. With a population (2016) of 48,009, it is the third municipality of the province after Catania and Acireale.
Geography
Paternò ...
,
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
) is an Italian
astronaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
in the
European Astronaut Corps
The European Astronaut Corps is a unit of the European Space Agency (ESA) that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members on U.S. and Russian space missions. The corps has 13 active members, able to serve on the International Space St ...
for the
European Space Agency
, owners =
, headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France
, coordinates =
, spaceport = Guiana Space Centre
, seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png
, seal_size = 130px
, image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...
(ESA). He was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009.
Parmitano is also a Colonel and
test pilot
A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testing ...
for the
Italian Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 28 March ...
.
Background
Parmitano considers
Catania
Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...
his hometown. He is divorced and has two daughters with his ex-wife. He is an active scuba diver and enjoys snowboarding, skydiving, weight training and swimming. Other interests include reading and listening to and playing music.
Education
Parmitano graduated from the
Liceo Scientifico Statale "Galileo Galilei" in Catania, Italy, in 1995. Parmitano spent a year (1993) as an exchange student at Mission Viejo High School in Mission Viejo, California in the United States with
AFS Intercultural Programs
AFS Intercultural Programs (or AFS, originally the American Field Service) is an international youth exchange organization. It consists of over 50 independent, not-for-profit organizations, each with its own network of volunteers, profession ...
.
In 1999, he completed a master's degree in political sciences at the
University of Naples Federico II
The University of Naples Federico II ( it, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II) is a public university in Naples, Italy. Founded in 1224, it is the oldest public non-sectarian university in the world, and is now organized into 26 depar ...
, Italy, with a thesis on international law. In 2000, he graduated with Sparviero IV academic course, from the Italian
Accademia Aeronautica, in
Pozzuoli
Pozzuoli (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania. It is the main city of the Phlegrean Peninsula.
History
Pozzuoli began as the Greek colony of ''Dicaearchia'' ( el, Δικα ...
, Italy.
Parmitano completed basic training with the U.S. Air Force at the
Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program at
Sheppard Air Force Base
Sheppard Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located north of the central business district of Wichita Falls, in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the largest training base and most diversified in Air Educati ...
in Texas in the United States in 2001. He completed the JCO/CAS course with the
United States Air Forces in Europe
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...
(USAFE) in
Sembach
Sembach is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It forms part of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Enkenbach-Alsenborn. The town is nestled in the Palatinate Forest Nature Park between Kais ...
, Germany, in 2002.
In 2003, he qualified as
Electronic Warfare Officer
In the U.S. Air Force, an electronic warfare officer (EWO) is a trained aerial navigator who has received training in enemy threat systems, electronic warfare principles and overcoming enemy air defense systems. These officers are specialists in ...
at the (ReSTOGE) in
Pratica di Mare
Pomezia () is a municipality (''comune'') in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Lazio, central Italy. In 2009 it had a population of about 60,000.
History
The town was built entirely new near the location of ancient Lavinium on land resulting ...
, Italy. He completed the Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP) in
Florennes
Florennes (; wa, Florene) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium. As of 1 January 2006, Florennes has a total population of 10,754. The total area is 133.55 km² which gives a population density of 81 inhabita ...
, Belgium, in 2005.
In July 2009, Parmitano received a master's degree in experimental
flight test engineering at the
Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace
An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations ( research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body.
In some countries, institutes ca ...
(ISAE), in
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
, France, as part of the test pilot formation at
EPNER, the French test pilot school in
Istres
Istres (; Occitan: Istre) is a commune in southern France, some 60 km (38 mi) northwest of Marseille. It is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture.
Location
...
.
Special honours
In 2007 Parmitano was awarded the
Medaglia d'Argento al Valore Aeronautico (Silver Medal of Aeronautic Valor) by the
President of the Italian Republic
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
after safely landing his
AMX in an emergency due to a bird strike.
[Conferimento di onorificenza al Valore aeronautico (GU n.67 del 21-3-2007)]
Retrieved 18 June 2018 .
Asteroid
37627 Lucaparmitano is named after him.
Career
Parmitano is a
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
in the
Italian Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 28 March ...
and an
Astronaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
of the
European Space Agency
, owners =
, headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France
, coordinates =
, spaceport = Guiana Space Centre
, seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png
, seal_size = 130px
, image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...
. He has logged more than 2000 hours flying time, is qualified on more than 20 types of military aircraft (both
fixed-wing
A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air flying machine, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using wings that generate lift caused by the aircraft's forward airspeed and the shape of the wings. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct ...
and
rotary-wing
A rotorcraft or rotary-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft with rotary wings or rotor blades, which generate lift by rotating around a vertical mast. Several rotor blades mounted on a single mast are referred to as a rotor. The Internati ...
) and has flown over 40 types of aircraft.
Following completion of undergraduate pilot training in 2001, Parmitano flew the
AMX aircraft with the 13th Squadron, 32nd Wing in
Amendola, Italy, from 2001 to 2007. During that time, he obtained all the qualifications on that aircraft, including Combat Ready, Four Ship Leader, and Mission Commander/Package Leader.
Within the 13th Squadron, he served as Chief of Training Section and Commander of the 76th Flight. He was also the 32nd Wing Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO).
In 2007, he was selected by the Italian Air Force to become a
test pilot
A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testing ...
and qualified as Experimental Test Pilot at
EPNER, the French test pilot school in
Istres
Istres (; Occitan: Istre) is a commune in southern France, some 60 km (38 mi) northwest of Marseille. It is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture.
Location
...
.
In ESA
In May 2009, Parmitano was selected as an ESA astronaut as part of the 2009 class.
In 2014, he became a "cavenaut" serving in
ESA CAVES
CAVES, an acronym for Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills, is a European Space Agency astronaut training course in which international astronauts train in a space-analogue cave environment. Desi ...
training of the
European Space Agency
, owners =
, headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France
, coordinates =
, spaceport = Guiana Space Centre
, seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png
, seal_size = 130px
, image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...
alongside
Scott Tingle,
Alexander Mirsurkin,
Sergey Kud-Sverchkov
Sergey Vladimirovich Kud-Sverchkov (Russian: Серге́й Влади́мирович Кудь-Сверчко́в; born on 23 August 1983) is a Russian cosmonaut, selected in 2010 by Roscosmos. He made his first spaceflight in 2020 aboard the I ...
and
Matthias Maurer
Matthias Josef Maurer (born 18 March 1970) is a German European Space Agency astronaut and Materials scientist, who was selected in 2015 to take part in space training.
Biography
Maurer graduated from in Sankt Wendel, Saarland, in 1989.) He ...
.
In July 2015, Parmitano became an
aquanaut
An aquanaut is any person who remains underwater, breathing at the ambient pressure for long enough for the concentration of the inert components of the breathing gas dissolved in the body tissues to reach equilibrium, in a state known as satura ...
when he served as commander of the
NEEMO 20 crew.
In May 2017, Parmitano took part in the ''CAVES eXpedition One'', carried out in the extreme environments of some hot caves in Sicily.
Expedition 36/37
In February 2011, he was assigned as a flight engineer to
Expedition 36
Expedition 36 was the 36th long-duration mission to the International Space Station.
Crew
;Sources:
NASA
Mission
On 2013 June 16, the 50th anniversary of Vostok 6, the first spaceshot by a woman, Valentina Tereshkova, Karen L. Nyberg was on ...
/
37 (a long-duration mission to the International Space Station), which launched aboard
Soyuz TMA-09M
Soyuz TMA-09M was a Russian Soyuz programme, Soyuz mission to the International Space Station. It transported three members of the Expedition 36 crew to the space station. The Soyuz remained docked to the space station during Expeditions 36 and 37 ...
on 28 May 2013 and arrived at the ISS on 29 May. His mission is called ''Volare'', which means "to fly" in Italian
[ESA Soyuz TMA-09M, Volare mission](_blank)
Multimedia Gallery, 2013. and is reminiscent of a
very famous song by the Italian singer
Domenico Modugno
Domenico Modugno (; 9 January 1928 – 6 August 1994) was an Italian singer, actor and, later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel blu, dipinto di blu (song), Nel blu dipinto di blu", ...
.
In May 2013 Parmitano partnered with his 15-year-old
mentee
Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...
Abigail Harrison
Abigail Harrison (born June 13, 1997), also known as Astronaut Abby, is an American internet personality and science communicator, particularly in the area of the United States space program. Harrison is the founder and current leader of The Mars ...
to have her serve as his Earth liaison during his mission on Expedition 36 and Expedition 37. Harrison shared Parmitano's experience of living in space on the International Space Station with her online community on social media and her blog, where she is known as "Astronaut Abby".
On 9 July 2013, he became the first Italian to take part in a spacewalk as he and
Chris Cassidy conducted an
EVA
Eva or EVA may refer to:
* Eva (name), a feminine given name
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
* Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment
* Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in t ...
out of the ISS'
quest airlock
The ''Quest'' Joint Airlock, previously known as the Joint Airlock Module, is the primary airlock for the International Space Station. ''Quest'' was designed to host spacewalks with both Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuits and Orlan ...
to install power cables, retrieve
material research samples (MISSE-8) and accomplish a number of maintenance tasks. During the EVA, Parmitano also got to ride on the ISS'
Mobile Servicing System
The Mobile Servicing System (MSS), is a robotic system on board the International Space Station (ISS). Launched to the ISS in 2001, it plays a key role in station assembly and maintenance; it moves equipment and supplies around the station, supp ...
for the installation of a couple of radiator grapple bars previously flown up on
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...
'
CRS-2 mission. The EVA was part of preparations for the new
Russian multipurpose module planned to replace the
Pirs docking compartment by the end of 2013. In 2013,
AOL
AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo (2017 ...
's
BermanBraun listed his
space selfie taken during this spacewalk as one of the 50 best space photos of the year.
His second
EVA
Eva or EVA may refer to:
* Eva (name), a feminine given name
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
* Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment
* Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in t ...
on 16 July 2013 was terminated after only 1 hour and 32 minutes, when the helmet of his
Extravehicular Mobility Unit
The Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) is an independent anthropomorphic spacesuit that provides environmental protection, mobility, life support, and communications for astronauts performing extravehicular activity (EVA) in Earth orbit. Introduc ...
suit started filling with water. Water in his helmet posed the danger of drowning and made his return to the airlock even more difficult, as orbital sunset had occurred just before he started to return. Engineers found that contamination had clogged one of the suit's filters, causing water from the suit's cooling system to back up. On 15 January 2016, astronaut
Timothy Kopra
Timothy Lennart "Tim" Kopra (born April 9, 1963) is an engineer, a Colonel in the United States Army and a retired NASA astronaut. He served aboard the International Space Station as a flight engineer for Expedition 20, returning to Earth aboar ...
experienced a water leak in the same spacesuit. Parmitano returned to Earth on 11 November 2013 aboard
Soyuz TMA-09M
Soyuz TMA-09M was a Russian Soyuz programme, Soyuz mission to the International Space Station. It transported three members of the Expedition 36 crew to the space station. The Soyuz remained docked to the space station during Expeditions 36 and 37 ...
.
Expedition 60/61
In May 2018 ESA announced that Parmitano would return to the space station on board the
Soyuz MS-13
Soyuz MS-13, also designated ISS flight 59S, was a crewed Soyuz mission launched on 20 July 2019 – the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing – carrying three members of the Expedition 60 crew to the International Space Station: a Rus ...
mission, to serve as Flight Engineer on
Expedition 60 and Commander on
Expedition 61
Expedition 61 was the 61st Expedition to the International Space Station, which began on 3 October 2019 with the undocking of the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft. The Expedition was commanded by ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, who became the third Europea ...
. Parmitano launched on 20 July 2019 and arrived at the International Space Station on the same day. He became the first DJ in space on 13 August 2019, when he played a set of electronic music from the ISS for a music festival audience in
Ibiza
Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its l ...
. On 15 November he ventured outside the ISS for the first time since his ill-fated spacewalk in 2013, on the first of at least four spacewalks to repair the
Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) is a particle physics experiment module that is mounted on the International Space Station (ISS).Kristine Rainey (April 2, 2013)Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS): How It Works NASA. Retrieved June 2, 20 ...
. Parmitano conducted the spacewalks to repair AMS together with NASA astronaut
Andrew Morgan. Both were assisted by NASA astronauts
Christina Koch and
Jessica Meir
Jessica Ulrika Meir (IPA: ; ; born ) is an American-Swedish NASA astronaut, marine biologist, and physiologist. She was previously an assistant professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, following ...
who operated the
Canadarm2
The Mobile Servicing System (MSS), is a robotic system on board the International Space Station (ISS). Launched to the ISS in 2001, it plays a key role in station assembly and maintenance; it moves equipment and supplies around the station, supp ...
robotic arm from inside the Station. The spacewalks were described as the "most challenging since
Hubble repairs". It was the first time astronauts cut and reconnect cooling lines in orbit. The repair of AMS was completed after four spacewalks. In the last spacewalk Parmitano found a leak in one of AMS's cooling lines. The leak was fixed during the spacewalk.
Expedition 61 ended with the landing of Soyuz MS-13 on 6 February 2020. Aboard were Parmitano,
Aleksandr Skvortsov and
Christina Koch.
References
External links
Official website*
Blog at ESA*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parmitano, Luca
1976 births
Living people
Aquanauts
Commanders of the International Space Station
Italian aerospace engineers
Italian Air Force personnel
Italian astronauts
Italian aviators
ESA astronauts
People from Paternò
Recipients of the Medal of Aeronautic Valor
University of Naples Federico II alumni
Spacewalkers