Frimout Credit: www.spacefacts.de |
Status: Inactive; Active 1985-1992. Born: 1941-03-21. Spaceflights: 1 . Total time in space: 8.92 days. Birth Place: Poperinge.
Educated Ghent.
Official Biography
NAME: Dirk D. Frimout
BIRTHPLACE AND DATE: Frimout was born on March 21, 1941 in Poperinge, Belgium.
EDUCATION: Diploma as electronics engineer, 1963. Doctorate in applied physics, 1970 from the University of Ghent. Post-doctorate work at the Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics, Colorado, 1972. EXPERIENCE: Frimout worked at the Institute of Space Aeronomy of Belgium until 1978. He became an astronaut candidate in 1977. Frimout was selected in 1989 for Shuttle Flight STS-45 (the ATLAS-1 mission). Fifteen years later, he was the first Belgian in space, on board the Atlantis shuttle on March 24, 1992. was responsible for the European scientific experiments carried out on board Atlantis. This ATLAS-1 mission of earth observation was completed on April 2. Frimout was also the Alternate Payload Specialist to STS-61K, Mission EOM-1/2.
Dirk Frimout carried out his dream, to fly and float in space. His exploits raised the enthusiasm of all Belgians. He was made a Grand Officier de l'Ordre de Léopold and also received the title of Viscount. Frimout returned to Belgium and directed a team of researchers in the field of telephony at Belgacom.
Manned seven crew. Carried ATLAS-1 experimental package. Payloads: Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS)-1, Shuttle Solar Backscat-ter Ultraviolet (SSBUV)-4, Getaway Special Experiment G-229, Space Tissue Loss (STL)-1, Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME)-lIl, Visual Function Tester (VFT)-lI, Cloud Logic To Opti-mize Use of Defense Systems (CLOUDS)-1A, Investigations Into Polymer Membrane Process-ing (IPMP), Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX)-Il, Ultraviolet Plume Instrument (UVPl).