Background
Viehbock, Franz Artur was born on August 24, 1960 in Vienna, Austria. Came to the United States, 1994.
Viehbock, Franz Artur was born on August 24, 1960 in Vienna, Austria. Came to the United States, 1994.
Diploma in engineering, Technology University, Vienna, 1985. Certified cosmonaut, Y. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Star City, Russia, 1991.
He was titulated „Austronaut“ by his country"s media. He visited the Mir space station in 1991 aboard Soyuz TM-13, returning aboard Soyuz TM-12 after spending just over a week in space. Together with Clemens Lothaller, he was selected for the Soviet-Austrian space project Austromir 91.
After two years of training he was chosen for the mission, and launched on October 2, 1991 together with the Russian cosmonauts Alexander A. Volkov and the Kazakh Toktar Aubakirov in Soyuz TM-13 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome spaceport.
At the Mir space station he conducted 15 experiments in the fields of space medicine, physics and space technology, together with the cosmonauts Anatoly Artsebarsky and Sergey Krikalev. Viehböck returned after 7 days and 22 hours with Soyuz TM-12, and landed in Kazakhstan on October 10.
The following two years he gave numerous lectures on the mission, then went to the United States and worked for Rockwell. When Rockwell was taken over by Boeing he became Director for International Business Development in Vienna.
Later he was assigned Technologiebeauftragter (technology coordinator) of Lower Austria.
Viehböck resides in Berndorf, Lower Austria. The only other space traveller who became parent while on orbit is Randolph Bresnik (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
Member Association Space Explorers, Association Innovative Electronic Engineering (vice president).
Married Vesna Gecan, March 2, 1991. Children: Adrian, Carina, Dominic.