Claudie Haignere Flew To Mir, ISS

The first Frenchwoman in space, Claudie Haignere, was rushed to the hospital this week after an apparent suicide attempt.

Agence-France Presse reports the 51-year-old Haignere was discovered in her home Tuesday, where according to an unidentified source she had overdosed on pill. She had regained consciousness by the time she arrived at the hospital.

Haignere flew to Russia's Mir space station in 1996 as a representative of the former French CNES space agency, and followed up with a Soyuz flight to the International Space Station in 2001. She was the first European woman onboard the ISS.

She later resigned from the European Space Agency and entered politics, first serving as minister for research and new technologies from June 2002 to March 2004. She later served as European Affairs minister in the government of Jean-Pierre Raffarin until the Prime Minister resigned in May 2005.

The former Claudie André-Deshays is married to fellow astronaut Jean-Pierre Haignere, who flew to Mir twice.

(Photo from Service photographique du Premier ministre)

FMI: www.esa.int