Jean-Loup ChrétienStatus: Retired 8/20/1938 – Nationality: French Type: Government First Flight: 6/24/1982 Last Flight: 9/26/1997Jean-Loup Jacques Marie Chrétien (born 20 August 1938) is a French retired Général de Brigade (brigadier general) in the Armée de l’Air (French air force), and a former CNES spationaut. He flew on two Franco-Soviet space missions and a NASA Space Shuttle mission. Chrétien was the first Frenchman and the first western European in space.LaunchesSoyuz-U | Soyuz T-6Soyuz-U2 | Soyuz TM-7Space Shuttle Atlantis / OV-104 | STS-86National Center of Space ResearchType: Government Abbreviation: CNES Administration: Jean-Yves Le Gall Founded: 1961 Launchers: Ariane 5 Spacecraft: Mars/Venus Express | Rosetta Country: FRAThe National Center of Space Research, or CNES, is a French National Agency in charge of France’s space program. In partnership with the US and Russia, they have put 10 people in space. CNES works in tandem with the larger ESA to develop the Ariane 5 and work on other probes and satellites. They are working with Germany to develop a cheaper and more efficient reusable rocket, which hopefully will be ready to fly by 2026.