Master of science in physics from the Ludwig-Maximilians Universitat in Munich, 1978; Ph.D. in physics from the Institute for Environmental Physics of Heidelberg University, 1985; was selected as backup for STS-55 (D-2 mission); from 61 European candidates for the ESA 1991 selection one of five German candidates (and on the shortlist of 25 candidate applicants), but not selected then; since 1996 NASA astronaut; hobbies: Cooking, music, reading, sports (especially badminton), spending time with his family; returned to European Astronaut Center, but still an active ESA astronaut; from 08.2002 to 04.2003 he served as Chief-astronaut for the ESA; since August 2005 until March 2010 Head of the Astronaut Division of the European Astronaut Centre (EAC). As from 1 April 2010 Gerhard Thiele became Resident Fellow with the European Space Policy Institute in Vienna, Austria.