[sarex] CMDR.LERY CHIAO( PH.D) BIO

[Arthur Z Rowe <n1orc@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

*LEROY CHIAO (PH.D.)
NASA ASTRONAUT*

*PERSONAL DATA: *Born August 28, 1960, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but 
considers Danville, California, to be his hometown. Leroy and Karen 
Chiao married in 2003. He enjoys flying his Grumman Tiger aircraft, as 
well as skiing. Dr. Chiao is fluent in Mandarin and Russian.

*EDUCATION: *Graduated from Monte Vista High School, Danville, 
California, in 1978; received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical 
Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1983, and a 
Master of Science degree and a Doctorate in Chemical Engineering from 
the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1985 and 1987.

*SPECIAL HONORS: *Recipient of three NASA Space Flight Medals (2000, 
1996, 1994), and numerous awards, including two NASA Exceptional Service 
Awards (2000, 1996), four NASA Individual Achievement Awards (2004, 
2003, 2002, 2001), two NASA Group Achievement awards (1997, 1995) and 
the NASA Going the Extra Mile Award (2004). Recipient of numerous 
Federation Aeronautique Internationale awards, including the Korolev 
Diploma (2002), Komarov Diploma (1996) and De La Vaulx Medal (1994). 
Recipient of Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of 
California, Santa Barbara (1995). Recipient of two Phi Kappa Tau awards 
- the Taylor A. Borradaile National Alumnus of the Year Award (1996) and 
the Nu Chapter Alumnus of the Year (1991) award. Recipient of the 2003 
Excellence Award in Science and Technology, from the US Pan Asian 
American Chamber of Commerce. Recipient of the 100 Most Influential 
Asian Americans in the 1990’s Award from A-Magazine (2000). Keynote 
Commencement Speaker for the Departments of Engineering at the 
University of California at Berkeley, and at Santa Barbara (1996). 
Invited lecturer on honeycomb material and bonded panels, and cure 
modeling of aerospace composite materials, at the Beijing Institute of 
Aeronautical Materials, and at the Changsha Institute of Technology, 5th 
Department, in the Peoples Republic of China (1988). Invited contributor 
to the International Encyclopedia of Composite Materials (1989). Listed 
in Who’s Who in Science and Engineering (1990).

*EXPERIENCE: *Dr. Chiao graduated in 1987 from the University of 
California at Santa Barbara, and joined the Hexcel Corporation in 
Dublin, California. He worked for Hexcel until 1989, during which time 
he was involved in process, manufacturing, and engineering research on 
advanced aerospace materials. He worked on a joint NASA-JPL/Hexcel 
project to develop an optically correct, polymer composite precision 
segment reflector, for future space telescopes. He also worked on cure 
modeling and finite element analysis. In January of 1989 Dr. Chiao 
joined the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, 
California, where he was involved in processing research for fabrication 
of filament-wound and thick-section aerospace composites, where he 
developed and demonstrated a mechanistic cure model for graphite 
fiber/epoxy composite material. An instrument-rated pilot, Dr. Chiao has 
logged over 2600 flight hours in a variety of aircraft.

*NASA EXPERIENCE: *Selected by NASA in January 1990, Dr. Chiao became an 
Astronaut in July 1991. He is qualified for flight assignment as a Space 
Station Commander, Space Station Science Officer and as a Space Shuttle 
Mission Specialist. His technical assignments to date include: Space 
Shuttle flight software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration 
Laboratory (SAIL); Crew Equipment, Spacelab, Spacehab and Payloads 
issues for the Astronaut Office Mission Development Branch; Training and 
Flight Data File issues; EVA issues for the EVA Branch. Dr. Chiao also 
served as Chief of the Astronaut Office EVA Branch. A veteran of three 
space flights, he flew as a Mission Specialist on STS-65 in 1994, STS-72 
in 1996 and STS-92 in 2000. Dr. Chiao has logged a total of 36 days, 12 
hours, 36 minutes and 5 seconds in space, including 26 hours and 19 
minutes of EVA time in four space walks.

Dr. Chiao is the Commander and NASA Science Officer on Expedition-10. He 
is currently living and working aboard the International Space Station 
on a six-month tour of duty. Expedition-10 was launched from the 
Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on October 13, 2004 aboard Soyuz and 
docked with the ISS on October 15, 2004. Following eight-days of joint 
operations and handover briefings, they replaced the Expedition-9 crew 
who returned to earth aboard Soyuz.

*SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: *STS-65 /Columbia/ (July 8-23, 1994) launched 
from and returned to land at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, setting 
a Federation Aeronautique Internationale flight duration record for P2 
spacecraft. The STS-65 mission flew the second International 
Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2). During the 15-day flight the 
seven-member crew conducted more than 80 experiments focusing on 
materials and life sciences research in microgravity. The STS-65 mission 
was accomplished in 236 orbits of the Earth, traveling 6.1 million miles 
in 353 hours and 55 minutes. On this mission, Dr. Chiao became the 196th 
NASA Astronaut to fly in space and the 311th human in space.

STS-72 /Endeavour/ (January 11-20, 1996) was a 9-day mission during 
which the crew retrieved the Space Flyer Unit (launched from Japan 
10-months earlier), and deployed and retrieved the OAST-Flyer. Dr. Chiao 
performed two spacewalks designed to demonstrate tools and hardware, and 
evaluate techniques to be used in the assembly of the International 
Space Station. In completing this mission, Dr. Chiao logged a total of 
214 hours and 41 seconds in space, including 12 hours and 57 minutes EVA 
time, and traveled 3.7 million miles in 142 orbits of the Earth. During 
this flight, Dr. Chiao became the first Asian-American and ethnic 
Chinese to perform a spacewalk.

STS-92 /Discovery/ (October 11-24, 2000) was launched from the Kennedy 
Space Center, Florida and returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base, 
California. During the 13-day flight, the seven-member crew attached the 
Z1 Truss and Pressurized Mating Adapter 3 to the International Space 
Station using /Discovery/’s robotic arm and performed four space walks 
to configure these elements. This expansion of the ISS opened the door 
for future assembly missions and prepared the station for its first 
resident crew. Dr. Chiao was the EVA/Construction Lead for this mission 
and totaled 13 hours and 16 minutes of EVA time in two space walks. The 
STS-92 mission was accomplished in 202 orbits, traveling 5.3 million 
miles in 12 days, 21 hours, 40 minutes and 25 seconds.

OCTOBER 2004
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