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Simonyi, Charles 'Károly'

Person · Hungary · USA

Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.

Simonyi
Simonyi
Credit: NASA

Hungarian-American computer scientist, space tourist cosmonaut 2006-2007. Inventor of the Macintosh/Windows visual interface.

Simonyi became interested in computing while working as a night watchman for a Soviet Ural II mainframe computer during high school. His programming talent was quickly apparent, and he was able to leave for the United States in 1968, where he was educated at the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford. He worked at Xerox PARC and was involved in instrumental in development of the graphic computer interface that was later adopted first by the Macintosh, and later for Windows and other computer operating systems.

He was hired by Microsoft in 1981 and developed the company's flagship Word and Excel applications. After 21 years at Microsoft, and having become a billionaire, Simonyi left in 2002 and co-founded Intentional Software. He also became a philanthropist, and decided in 2006 to spend a small part of his fortune on a ticket to the International Space Station.

More at: Simonyi.

Related

Family
Cosmonaut
Country
Hungary, USA
Spacecraft
ISS
Bibliography
6035

Chronology

22 events

1948 September 10

  • Birth of Charles 'Karoly' Simonyi - . Nation: Hungary, USA. Related Persons: Simonyi. Hungarian-American computer scientist, space tourist cosmonaut 2006-2007. Inventor of the Macintosh/Windows visual interface. 2 spaceflights, 26.6 days in space. Flew to orbit on Soyuz TMA-10 (2007), Soyuz TMA-14..

2006 September 18

04:08 GMT - . Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: Baikonur LC1. LV Family: R-7. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz-FG.
  • Soyuz TMA-9 - . Call Sign: Vostok. Crew: Ansari, Lopez-Alegria, Tyurin. Return Crew: Lopez-Alegria, Simonyi, Tyurin. Payload: Soyuz TMA s/n 219. Mass: 7,250 kg (15,980 lb). Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Ansari, Lopez-Alegria, Simonyi, Tyurin. Agency: RAKA. Manufacturer: Korolev bureau. Program: ISS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spacecraft. Flight: Soyuz TMA-8, Soyuz TMA-9. Spacecraft Bus: Soyuz. Spacecraft: Soyuz TMA. Duration: 215.35 days. Decay Date: 2007-04-21 . USAF Sat Cat: 29400 . COSPAR: 2006-040A. Apogee: 348 km (216 mi). Perigee: 330 km (200 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 91.30 min.

    Carried the Expedition 14 crew and space tourist Anousheh Ansari to the International Space Station. Ansari replaced tourist Daisuke Enomoto, who was removed from flight status by the Russians just 28 days before the flight. Docked at the Zvezda port of the station at 05:21 GMT on September 20. On 21 April 2007, Lopez-Alegria, Tyurin and space tourist Charles Simonyi (who was taken to the station aboard Soyuz TMA-10) boarded Soyuz TMA-9, separated from the ISS, conducted retrofire, and landed in Kazakhstan at 12:31 GMT.

2007 March 2

2007 March 16

2007 March 23

2007 March 29

2007 April 6

2007 April 7

2007 April 7

17:31 GMT - . Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: Baikonur LC1. LV Family: R-7. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz-FG.
  • Soyuz TMA-10 - . Call Sign: Pulsar. Crew: Kotov, Simonyi, Yurchikhin. Return Crew: Kotov, Muszaphar, Yurchikhin. Payload: Soyuz TMA s/n 220 / ISS-14S. Mass: 7,200 kg (15,800 lb). Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Kotov, Muszaphar, Simonyi, Yurchikhin. Agency: RAKA. Manufacturer: Korolev bureau. Program: ISS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spacecraft. Flight: Soyuz TMA-10, Soyuz TMA-10 ISS EP-12. Spacecraft Bus: Soyuz. Spacecraft: Soyuz TMA. Duration: 196.71 days. Decay Date: 2007-10-21 . USAF Sat Cat: 31100 . COSPAR: 2007-008A. Apogee: 341 km (211 mi). Perigee: 330 km (200 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 91.20 min.

    Carried the Expedition 15 crew and space tourist Charles Simonyi to the International Space Station. Soyuz TMA-10 docked at the Zarya port of the International Space Station at 19:10 GMT on 9 April. It undocked from Zarya at 19:20 GMT on Sep 27 September and docked at the Zvezda port at 19:47 GMT to clear Zarya for Soyuz TMA-10.

    The EO-15 crew and EP-13 space tourist Shukor (brought to the station by Soyuz TMA-11) boarded Soyuz TM-10 and undocked from the Zvezda port at 07:14 GMT on 21 October. The re-entry burn began at 09:47 and was normal. But afterwards, due to failure of an explosive bolt, the Soyuz service module remained connected to the re-entry capsule. The Soyuz tumbled, then began re-entry with the forward hatch taking the re-entry heating, until the connecting strut burned through. The Soyuz the righted itself with the heat shield taking the heating, but defaulted to an 8.6 G ballistic re-entry, landing 340 km short of the aim point at 10:36 GMT. Improved procedures after the ballistic re-entry of Soyuz TMA-1 meant a helicopter recovery crew reached the capsule only 20 minutes after thumpdown. However the true nature of the failure was concealed from the world until the same thing happened on Soyuz TMA-11.

2007 April 9

2007 April 13

2007 April 20

2007 April 21

2007 April 21

12:31 GMT - .

2007 April 27

2008 March 1

2008 March 8

2008 March 9

2008 March 30

2008 June 21

2008 June 22

2009 March 26

11:49 GMT - . Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: Baikonur LC1. LV Family: R-7. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz-FG.
  • Soyuz TMA-14 - . Call Sign: Altair. Crew: Barratt, Padalka, Simonyi. Backup Crew: Dyson, Surayev, Walker. Return Crew: Barratt, Laliberte, Padalka. Payload: Soyuz TMA s/n 224. Mass: 7,250 kg (15,980 lb). Nation: Russia. Agency: RKA. Program: ISS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spacecraft. Flight: Soyuz TMA-14. Spacecraft Bus: Soyuz. Spacecraft: Soyuz TMA. Duration: 198.66 days. Decay Date: 2009-10-11 . USAF Sat Cat: 34669 . COSPAR: 2009-015A. Apogee: 354 km (219 mi). Perigee: 344 km (213 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 91.50 min. Delivered EO-19 crew and space tourist Simonyi to ISS; returned EO-19 crew and space tourist Laliberte to earth on 11 October 2009 at 04:32 GMT..