Fernando Caldeiro
Encyclopedia
Fernando "Frank" Caldeiro (June 12, 1958, Buenos Aires, Argentina – died October 3, 2009) was an Argentine-American astronaut
with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona
and the University of Central Florida
.
Caldeiro was named a NASA
astronaut on May 1, 1996, as part of Astronaut Group 16
, nicknamed "The Sardines".
Caldeiro was assigned to high altitude research flights in NASA's WB-57
aircraft. In 2002, he was appointed to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
and the University of Central Florida
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...
.
Caldeiro was named a NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
astronaut on May 1, 1996, as part of Astronaut Group 16
NASA Astronaut Group 16
NASA's Astronaut Group 16 was announced by NASA on 1 May 1996. The class was nicknamed "The Sardines" for being such a large class, humorously implying that their training sessions would be as tightly packed as sardines in a can. These 44 candidates were in fact the largest astronaut class ever...
, nicknamed "The Sardines".
Caldeiro was assigned to high altitude research flights in NASA's WB-57
B-57 Canberra
The Martin B-57 Canberra was a United States-built, twin jet engine light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, which entered service with the United States Air Force in 1953. The B-57 was initially a version of the English Electric Canberra built under license. However, the Glenn L...
aircraft. In 2002, he was appointed to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.