Franco Malerba

Italian astronaut, who became the first Italian citizen in space during the flight of STS-46 from 31 July 1992- 7 August 1992.

In 1970, Malerba received his degree as an electronics engineer from the University of Genova, Italy. He went on to earn his Doctorate in Physics, specializing in Biophysics. He worked as a research assistant at the Italian National Research Council, doing experimental work in biophysics, prior to becoming a research fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. From 1974-75, he served in the Italian Navy, assigned to the Destroyer San Giorgio as a science lecturer before being reassigned to the Mariperman Technical Center where he worked on ELF transmission systems.

In 1977, the European Space Agency (ESA) chose Malerba as one of four Payload Specialist candidates for the first Space lab mission. He worked at the Mariperman Technical Center in La Spezia after being chosen by the ESA. In 1989, the Italian Space Agency chose him as a Payload Specialist for the TSS-1 mission whereupon he was assigned to the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for training. Since his successful trip into space in 1992, he has been involved with the Italian Space Agency’s manned space flight program follow-on activities.

Fluent in Italian, English and French, Malerba enjoys skiing, mountaineering and tennis. He earned his private pilot’s license in 1973 and obtained his scuba diving license in 1984.

He is married to Marie-Aude Némo, and they have one child.