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NAME: Franco Malerba (Ph.D.)

ASI Astronaut (Payload Specialist)

== Personal Data ==
Born October 10, 1946, in Genova, Italy. Married
to the former Marie-Aude Némo. They have one
child. Recreational interests include
mountaineering, skiing, and tennis. He is fluent
in Italian, English, and French.

== Education ==
*1965	Maturita classica (Lyceum).
*1970	University degree, Electronics Engineer,
University of Genoa|University of Genova, Italy,
specializing in the telecommunications field
(laurea 110/110 cum Laude).
*1974	Doctorate in Physics, University of Genova,
(110/110) specializing in Biophysics (after
research work at the Italian National Research
Council and at the National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, Maryland, USA).

== Organizations ==
Founding Member of the Italian Space Society
(ISS).

== Research Activities ==
*1970-1975|75	Research Assistant at the Italian
National Research Council (CNR) Laboratorio de
Biofisica e Cibernetica (Genova) carrying
experimental work on membrane biophysics (using
squid axons) and biological membrane modeling with
lipid bilayers.
*1971	Lecturer of Cybernetics and Information
Theory at the Physics Faculty, University of
Genova.
*1972	Summer Research Assistant at the Nato
Saclant Research Center (La Spezia, Italy) working
on computer-aided signal detection methodologies
for sonar data systems.
*1972-1974|74	Research Fellow at the National
Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Maryland)
designing, developing, testing and using a fast
micro-spectrophotometer for research on
photoreceptors biophysics (using frog retinas).
*1977-1980|80	In 1977, Dr. Malerba was chosen by
the European Space Agency (ESA) as one of four
European Payload Specialist Candidates for the
first Spacelab mission. After this selection he
became a staff member at the European Technical
Center (ESTEC) of ESA Space Science Department,
Space Plasma Physics Division, working in the
development, testing, and qualification of ES020 -
PICPAB, an experiment in Ionospheric Plasma
Physics for the first Spacelab payload, flown in
1983, involving the use of accelerated charged
particle beams (cooperation involved French
CNRS/CRPE, Norwegian NRDE and ESTEC).

== Industry Experience ==
*1976-1989|89	Held technical and technical
management positions with Digital Equipment in
Italy and in Europe. He worked mainly in the field
of multiprocessor systems (Paris 1976, Milan
1977), computer networks engineering (Geneva
1981-85), and telecommunications technology (Rome
1986-88, and Sophia Antipolis in 1989).

== Military Status ==
Reserve Officer, Marina Militare. Served in
1974-75 (Sottotenente Armi Navali); was assigned
to the Destroyer San Giorgio as Science Lecturer
to the Navy Academy, and then to the Mariperman
Technical Center in La Spezia working on ELF
transmission systems.

== Other Skills ==
Obtained scuba diving license from the Calypso
Scuba Club, Geneva (1984).

== Flying Status ==
Obtained Private Pilot License (College Park,
Washington, D.C., 1973) and then the equivalent
Italian flying license.

== NASA Experience ==
After the Payload Specialist selection in 1989 by
the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and NASA for the
TSS-1 mission, he became a staff member of ASI and
was assigned to the NASA Johnson Space Center,
Houston, Texas, for training. In September 1991,
he was designated Prime Payload Specialist for the
TSS-1 mission. Dr. Malerba flew as the first
Italian citizen in space on STS-46 (July 31, 1992
to August 7, 1992). He is now involved with the
Italian Space Agency (ASI) manned space flight
program follow-on activities.

SEPTEMBER 1992

Source:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/PS/malerba.html