start_time expedition 21
Dirk Dries David Damiaan , Viscount Frimout ( born 21 March ___MASK54___ in Poperinge , Belgium ) is an astrophysicist for the European Space Agency . He flew aboard NASA Space Shuttle mision STS - 45 as a payload specialist , making him the first Belgian in space . The Space Shuttle was a partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated by the U . S . National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ), as part of the Space Shuttle program . Its official program name was " Space Transportation System ( STS )", taken from a ___MASK48___ plan for a system of reusable spacecraft of which it was the only item funded for development . The first of four orbital test flights occurred in ___MASK11___ , leading to operational flights beginning in 1982 . Five complete Shuttle systems were built and used on a total of 135 missions from ___MASK11___ to 2011 , launched from the Kennedy Space Center ( KSC ) in Florida . Operational missions launched numerous satellites , interplanetary probes , and the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ); conducted science experiments in orbit ; and participated in construction and servicing of the International Space Station . The Shuttle fleet ' s total mission time was 1322 days , 19 hours , 21 minutes and 23 seconds . Expedition 21 was the 21st long - duration mission to the International Space Station ( ISS ). The expedition began on ___MASK29___ , with Frank de Winne becoming the first ESA astronaut to command a space mission . The International Space Station ( ISS ) is a space station , or a habitable artificial satellite , in low Earth orbit . Its first component launched into orbit in ___MASK10___ , and the ISS is now the largest artificial body in orbit and can often be seen with the naked eye from Earth . The ISS consists of pressurised modules , external trusses , solar arrays , and other components . ISS components have been launched by Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets , and American Space Shuttles . Frank , Viscount De Winne ( born 25 April ___MASK46___ , in Ledeberg , Belgium ) is a Belgian Air Component officer and an ESA astronaut . He is Belgium ' s second person in space ( after Dirk Frimout ). He was the first ESA astronaut to command a space mission when he served as commander of ISS Expedition 21 . ESA astronaut de Winne serves currently as Head of the European Astronaut Centre of the European Space Agency in Cologne / Germany ( Köln ). A space station , also known as an orbital station or an orbital space station , is a spacecraft capable of supporting crewmembers , which is designed to remain in space ( most commonly as an artificial satellite in low Earth orbit ) for an extended period of time and for other spacecraft to dock . A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by lack of major propulsion or landing systems . Instead , other vehicles transport people and cargo to and from the station . three space stations are in orbit : the International Space Station , which is permanently manned , China ' s Tiangong - 1 ( defunct ) and Tiangong - 2 ( launched 15 September ___MASK75___ , not permanently manned ). Previous stations include the Almaz and Salyut series , Skylab , and most recently " Mir ". Expedition 21 was the 21st long - duration mission to the International Space Station ( ISS ) . The expedition began on 30 September ___MASK34___ , with Frank de Winne becoming the first ESA astronaut to command a space mission . The handover between Expedition 20 and Expedition 21 required three Soyuz vehicles being docked to the station at the same time , the first time this has occurred . Soyuz TMA - 16 brought the final members of Expedition 21 to the ISS , along with space tourist Guy Laliberté . Laliberté returned to Earth on Soyuz TMA - 14 with two members of Expedition 20 on 11 October ___MASK34___ . Nicole P . Stott was the last ISS expedition crew member to fly on the Space Shuttle . She returned to Earth aboard STS - 129 in November ___MASK34___ . The Belgian Air Component is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces . The Belgian military aviation was founded in ___MASK22___ and is one of the world ' s first air services . Ledeberg is a submunicipality of the city of Ghent . It lies south - east of downtown Ghent and has direct access to the E17 road . Its population is 13 , 974 inhabitants ( ___MASK57___ ). The European Space Agency ( ESA ASE ) is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space , with 22 member states . Established in ___MASK96___ and headquartered in Paris , France , ESA has a worldwide staff of about 2 , 000 and an annual budget of about € 5 . 25 billion / US $ 5 . 77 billion ( ___MASK75___ ).