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Philippe Perrin (Colonel, French Air Force) is
(accurate at January 2005) a former CNES and
European Space Agency astronaut.

==Background==

Perrin was born January 6, 1963, in Meknes,
Morocco, but considers Avignon, Provence, to be
his hometown.  He entered the France|French École
polytechnique (Paris) in 1982 and graduated as
"Ingénieur Polytechnicien" (engineering degree)
in 1985.  Perrin then received his Test Pilot
licensure|Licence in 1993 from the École du
personnel navigant d'essais et de réception
(EPNER), the French Test Pilot School at Istres
Air Force Base and received his Air Line Pilot
Certificate in 1995.

==Awards and Honors==
* Awarded his pilot’s wings "first of his class"
in 1996
* French Air Force award for Flight Safety (2) in
1989
* French Overseas Medal (Gulf War in 1991)
* French National Defense Medal (2).
* LĂ©gion d'Honneur, Officer

==Military and Flight Experience==
Prior to graduating from the École polytechnique,
Perrin completed military duty in the French Navy,
where he was trained in ship piloting and
navigation, and spent 6 months at sea in the
Indian Ocean. Following École polytechnique, he
entered the French Air Force in 1985, was awarded
his pilot’s wings in 1986, and was assigned to
the 33rd Reconnaissance Wing at Strasbourg Air
Force Base (1987-1991). He flew the
Dassault_Mirage_F1|Mirage F1CR and made
detachments in Africa and Saudi Arabia. 

Upon graduating from EPNER, the French Test Pilot
School, he worked on a variety of test programs
while assigned to the Bretigny Test Center. In
1992, he was temporarily detached to the French
Space Agency (CNES) and sent to Star City,
Moscow|Star City, Russia, where he trained for two
months. In 1993, he reported to the 2nd Air
Defense Wing of Dijon Air Force Base as Senior
Operations Officer (Operation Southern Watch). In
1995, he returned to the Bretigny Test Center, as
Chief Pilot Deputy, in charge of the development
of the Mirage_2000|Mirage 2000-5. In July 1996,
CNES announced his selection as an Astronaut and
assigned him to attend NASA’s Astronaut
Candidate Training in Houston, Texas.

Perrin has flown 26 combat missions and has logged
over 2,500 flying hours in over 30 types (from jet
fighters to Airbus).

==NASA Experience==
Perrin reported to the Johnson Space Center in
August 1996. Having completed two years of
training and evaluation, he is qualified for
flight assignment as a mission specialist. Perrin
was initially assigned technical duties in the
Astronaut Office Spacecraft Systems/Operations
Branch. He served as a mission specialist on
STS-111 (2002) and has logged over 332 hours in
space, including 19 hours and 31 minutes in three
spacewalks.

==Space Flight Experience==
STS-111 Space Shuttle Endeavour|Endeavour (June
5-June 19|19, 2002). The STS-111 mission delivered
a new ISS resident crew and a
Canada|Canadian-built mobile base for the orbiting
outpost’s robotic arm. The crew also performed
late-notice repair of the station’s robot arm by
replacing one of the arm’s joints. It was the
second Space Shuttle mission dedicated to
delivering research equipment to the space
platform. Perrin performed three EVAs
(spacewalks). STS-111 also brought home the
Expedition-Four crew from their 6-1/2 month stay
aboard the station. Mission duration was 13 days,
20 hours and 35 minutes. Unacceptable weather
conditions in Florida necessitated a landing at
Edwards Air Force Base, California.

==Post Flight Activities==
After his flight, Philippe Perrin went back to
Europe in 2002, left CNES and joined the European
Space Agency in Toulouse to work as support
astronaut on the Automated Transfer Vehicle
program.

He left the European astronaut corps in 2004 and
is now working as test pilot for Airbus Industrie.

==External link==
*
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/perrin.html
Astronaut bio: Philippe Perrin


NASA