Leroy Chiao (; born August 28, 1960) is an American chemical engineer, retired NASA astronaut, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and engineering consultant. Chiao flew on three Space Shuttle flights, and was the commander of Expedition 10, where he lived on board the International Space Station from October 13, 2004 to April 24, 2005. They met while studying at a Taiwanese university in the 1950s before immigrating to the U.S.

Chiao graduated from Monte Vista High School in Danville in 1978. In 1983, he earned a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He later earned a Master of Science (M.S.) and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in chemical engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1985 and 1987, respectively.

Pre-NASA career

thumb|NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao, left, and Russian cosmonaut [[Salizhan Sharipov served on Expedition 10 in the International Space Station.]]

thumb|Astronaut Leroy Chiao works with the controls of the [[Canadarm2]]

thumb|Astronaut Leroy Chiao, Expedition 10 commander and NASA ISS science officer, wearing a Russian Orlan spacesuit, participates in the first of two sessions of extravehicular activities (EVA) performed by the Expedition 10 crew during their six-month mission.

Upon graduation, Chiao joined the Hexcel Corporation in Dublin, California from 1987 to 1989. McDonald's presented Chiao with a Big Mac and French fries at their branch in Star City as one of his first meals since returning to Earth after his ISS assignment. Among the souvenirs he brought into space in his previous space flights were a Chinese flag and a quartz-carved rose from Hong Kong.

Chiao was the inadvertent developer of the procedure to use the IRED (Interim Resistive Exercise Device) to excite the solar arrays of the ISS. During an exercise session of squats on the ISS, Chiao sent a vibration through the space station that caused the solar arrays to ripple – a low amplitude frequency response. When Chiao did this, the response from Mission Control was "knock it off." However, several years later during an ISS assembly flight in December 2006 (STS-116), German astronaut Thomas Reiter of the European Space Agency was told to do 30 seconds of robust exercise on the bungee-bar IRED machine to help retract ISS solar arrays, specifically to relieve tension in a wire system that was preventing the array from folding up like an accordion. An eventual unplanned spacewalk during the same shuttle mission retracted the array.

Chiao left NASA in December 2005 to pursue employment in the private sector.

Spaceflight experience

thumb|President George W. Bush welcomed the crew members and families of the International Space Station expeditions 7, 8, 9, and 10 to the Oval Office in May 2005. From left: Lt. Colonel Mike Fincke, ISS 9; Dr. [[Edward Lu, ISS 7; Dr. Leroy Chiao, ISS 10, and Dr. Michael Foale, ISS 8.]]

STS-65 Columbia (July 8–23, 1994) launched from and returned to land at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, setting a new flight duration record for the Space Shuttle program at that time. 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.

STS-72 Endeavour (January 11–20, 1996) was a nine-day mission during which the crew retrieved the Space Flyer Unit (launched from Japan ten months earlier), and deployed and retrieved the OAST-Flyer. 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, Chiao logged 214 hours and 41 seconds in space, including just over thirteen EVA hours, and traveled 3.7 million miles in 142 orbits of the Earth.

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 spacewalks 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. Chiao totaled 13 hours and 16 minutes of EVA time in two spacewalks. The STS-92 mission was accomplished in 202 orbits, traveling 5.3 million miles in 12 days, 21 hours, 40 minutes, and 25 seconds.

ISS Expedition 10 (October 9, 2004 – April 24, 2005), Chiao was the commander of Expedition 10 on the International Space Station.<!--Info about him voting is already mentioned above, removing redundant paragraph-->

Post-NASA career

After leaving NASA, Chiao became involved in entrepreneurial business ventures in the U.S. and China.

In early 2006, he joined the Atlanta firm of SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. (SEI) as an affiliate and technical advisor (on a non-exclusive basis). Dr. Chiao assists the firm on space technologies and operating processes for future space exploration concepts and research on the commercialization of space. In July 2006, Chiao accepted a position as the Executive Vice President for Space Operations and a Director of Excalibur Almaz Limited.

Chiao was the chairman of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) User Panel, which was headquartered at Baylor College of Medicine. The NSBRI, funded by NASA through 2017, was a consortium of institutions studying the health risks related to long-duration space flight. The Institute's User Panel served as an advisory board composed of former and current astronauts and flight surgeons that ensured NSBRI's research program was focused on astronaut health and safety. In preparation for lunar and Mars exploration, Chiao and the User Panel helped align NSBRI's science and technology projects with the needs of astronauts on long missions. This activity was in collaboration with the Mars Institute, the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, The Explorers Club and SpaceRef Interactive, Inc. He conducted these webcasts from the Haughton-Mars Project Research Station and nearby locations to illustrate how NASA and other space agencies are learning to live on the Moon and Mars here on Earth.

In May 2009 Chiao wrote a few blog articles on Gizmodo.com detailing some of his space experiences.

In May 2009 Chiao was named as a member of the Review of United States Human Space Flight Plans Committee an independent review requested by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) on May 7, 2009.

In a special to CNN written by Chiao on 1 September 2011, he suggested that China be permitted to join the International Space Station program to remedy the issue relating to the limited options available for space travel, following the conclusion of the United States space shuttle program, and a failure of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on 24 August 2011.

From 2011–2016, Chiao worked for Epiphan Video as VP Aerospace. He is an advisor to the company. Based on NASA's space technologies, Epiphan Video produces high-resolution video capture, streaming, and recording products for the medical, educational, IT, and industrial markets. Chiao's role at Epiphan Video is to work with the aerospace industry to define the company's vision and achieve strategic goals in areas such as air traffic control.

From 2012–2016, Chiao was the special advisor – human spaceflight for the Space Foundation. He has been an advisor to the Houston Association of Space and Science Education since 2014. He is currently a co-founder and CEO of OneOrbit, a corporate keynote and training company, which also offers educational programs for schools and educators.

Personal life

Chiao married his wife, Karen, in 2003. She is a photographer, and her father is Dutch. The couple has two children: twins Henry and Caroline. He divorced Karen in 2020. Chiao enjoys flying his Grumman Tiger aircraft, as well as downhill skiing.

Awards and honors

  • NASA Distinguished Service Medal (2005)

See also

  • List of Asian American astronauts
  • Ed Lu
  • Taylor Wang

References

  • Chiao's Website
  • Chiao's Blog
  • Expedition 10 Earth Observation Photos from Dr. Leroy Chiao
  • Spacefacts biography of Leroy Chiao
  • Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee website
  • Leroy Chiao in Hyde Park Civilization on ČT24 8.11.2020 (moderator Daniel Stach)