German astronaut
“Picture book start”: Matthias Maurer takes off into space and reveals what he plans to do first
For the first time in three years, a German astronaut took off into space aboard the SpaceX “Endurance” space capsule. The engineer Matthias Maurer from the European Space Agency ESA took off on Wednesday evening with three NASA colleagues from the US spaceport in Cape Canaveral. The launch was broadcast live on the Internet by the US space agency NASA. After a flight of around 22 hours, the four astronauts are supposed to dock on the International Space Station ISS, which orbits around the earth in an orbit at a height of around 400 kilometers. Maurer has a PhD in materials science and had to train for years for the journey into weightlessness. He will live and work on the ISS for six months. During this time, he should carry out around 150 experiments and also complete an outdoor assignment. First of all, however, he wanted to take a look at the earth from the ESA observation tower, said Maurer.
With Matthias Maurer, a German astronaut took off into space for the first time in three years. The materials scientist from St. Wendel will spend six months on the International Space Station and carry out over 100 experiments.
The German astronaut Matthias Maurer set off on his first flight into space. The 51-year-old from Saarland started on Thursday night together with three US astronauts on board a SpaceX space capsule for the International Space Station ISS. After a 22-hour flight, the “Crew Dragon” was supposed to dock with the ISS on Friday night. After the launch had previously been postponed several times, the Falcon 9 rocket with the space capsule of the private space company SpaceX took off punctually on Thursday at 3:03 a.m. German time from the Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida.
German astronaut Maurer makes a successful start to the ISS
The launch was celebrated with applause in the SpaceX control center. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) spoke of a “picture book start”. Nasa boss Bill Nelson, who was present at the start, wished “Crew 3” a “safe trip” on the Twitter online service. Images from the “Crew Dragon” transmitted by NASA showed the four astronauts and a plush turtle floating in weightlessness. “Crew 3” includes Maurer, the US astronauts Raja Chari and Tom Marshburn and the US astronaut Kayla Barron. Their arrival at the ISS was scheduled for Friday at 1:10 a.m. CET 22 hours after take-off. The US Air Force pilot Chari, the commander of the mission, like Maurer and Barron, is in space for the first time. Marshburn has been on the ISS twice.
Second German to fly to the ISS
After Alexander Gerst, the 51-year-old bricklayer is the second German in the astronaut corps of the European Space Agency ESA and the first German astronaut to fly to the ISS on board a SpaceX space capsule. Overall, he is the twelfth German in space. Before the start, Maurer temporarily logged off on Twitter with the words: “The next updates are coming from orbit!” He thanked his French ESA colleague Thomas Pesquet, who returned to Earth from the ISS on Monday evening, “for preparing my bed” on board the space station. The Saarlander will live and work on the ISS for six months. More than a hundred scientific experiments are planned during his “Cosmic Kiss” mission, 36 of which were developed in Germany. Maurer and his colleagues want to research in the fields of physics, biology, medicine and artificial intelligence and try out new technologies in the process. Maurer is expected to return to earth in April 2022.
Year-long training and selection program
The doctor of materials science from St. Wendel went through a multi-stage, long-term selection program before he was accepted into the ESA astronaut corps in 2015. This was followed by further training steps. For his mission on the ISS, Maurer also completed another exhausting special training course – including survival strategies in the cold and medical emergencies. The Saarland Prime Minister Tobias Hans (CDU) declared after the start that the “whole Saarland” is proud of Maurer, “who has now literally made it to the top with pioneering spirit, determination and willpower”. The German government’s aerospace coordinator, Thomas Jarzombek (CDU), said: “Now it’s time to keep your fingers crossed and cheer for six exciting months on the ISS.”
Many attempts are ahead of the materials scientist with a doctorate
A meticulously planned test program awaits the astronaut, who will celebrate his 52nd birthday in weightlessness on March 18, on the space station. The mission leaves little room for personal development. However, according to his own statements, Maurer wants to spend his first orbit around the world at the dome-like space window of the ISS. The start was originally planned for October 31, but was initially postponed due to a storm low. Then the flight had to be postponed again because of a “minor medical matter” with a crew member. Finally, the return of another ISS crew was preferred.