During 197072 Hans Schlegel served as a
paratrooper with the Federal Armed Forces. He left with the rank of second
lieutenant, and after several reserve trainings, he was appointed reserve
lieutenant in 1980. In 197986 he worked as an experimental Solid State
Physicist at the Rheinisch Westfälische Technische Hochschule at the
University of Aachen and researched electronic transport properties and optical
properties of semiconductors. During 198688 he was a specialist in
non-destructive testing methodology in the research and development department
of the Institut Dr. Förster Gmbh & Co. KG in Reutlingen, Germany.
From 1988 to 1990 Hans Schlegel performed basic astronaut training at the
DLR German Aerospace Center. The training included
about 1300 parabolas to experience weightlessness on a KC-135 aircraft. He
became a certified research diver and holds a private pilots licence,
including instrument rating and aerobatics. In August 1995 Hans Schlegel went
to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Moscow, Russia, to train as backup
for the GermanRussian Mir-97 mission. In 1998 Hans Schlegel joined
ESAs Astronaut Corps. In August 1998,
ESA sent
him to the Johnson Space Center to train as a Mission Specialist with
NASAs Astronaut Class of 1998. He was also
assigned to the Capcom Branch of the Astronaut Office, speaking to astronauts
on the International Space Station. He worked as lead Capcom and as Space
Station Capcom Instructor.
He was from 61 European candidates for the
ESA 1991
selection one of five German candidates (and on the shortlist of 25 candidate
applicants), but was not selected then.
Recreational interests include
skiing, scuba diving and flying. He also enjoys reading and do-it-yourself
work. Hans Schlegel is married to Heike
Walpot (second
marriage).