Bidspirit auction | Astronaut Franco Malerba first Italian

Astronaut Franco Malerba first Italian in space signed FDC PM Greenbelt MD Sep 12 1992 AM 20770. Missions STS-118. After selection in 1989 as a Payload Specialist by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and NASA, he became a staff member of ASI and was assigned to the NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, for training. In September 1991, he was designated Prime Payload Specialist for the TSS-1 Space Shuttle mission. Malerba flew as the first Italian citizen in space on STS-46 (31 July 1992 to 7 August 1992). He is now involved with the ASI's crewed space flight program follow-on activities.