Haigneré, Claudie (1957–)

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Haigneré, Claudie (1957–)

French astronaut. Name variations: Claudie Haignere; Claudie André-Deshays or Andre-Deshays. Born Claudie André-Deshays, May 13, 1957, in Le Creusot, France; graduate of Faculté de Médicin and Faculté des Sciences; certificates in biology and sports medicine, 1981, aviation and space medicine, 1982, and rheumatology, 1984; diploma in biomechanics, 1986, and PhD in neuroscience, 1992; married Jean-Pierre Haigneré (astronaut); 1 daughter.

Rheumatologist and expert in neuroscience, became the 1st Frenchwoman in space (1996), serving as the crew engineer during 10 days on Mir, studying the effect of weightlessness on the human body; became the 1st woman to qualify as a Soyuz Return Commander (1999); with 2 others, delivered the Soyuz TM-33 to the International Space Station (Oct 2001); appointed France's Minister for Research and New Technologies (June 2002).