space travel
Astronaut Maurer celebrates his birthday in space
Birthday child Matthias Maurer: The German astronaut is spending this year’s day of honor in space – on the International Space Station ISS. Photo: ESA/NASA/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Some people treat themselves to a short trip to the sea or to the mountains for their birthday – astronaut Matthias Maurer is a little further away from home for this year’s special day.
In the midst of the severe Ukraine crisis, the German astronaut Matthias Maurer is celebrating his 52nd birthday this Friday together with the Russian-American crew on board the International Space Station ISS.
He invites everyone to dinner in the evening, he told the German Press Agency. Since three more Russian cosmonauts were expected that day, there would be ten of them. “Of course I want to serve the best, a bit of Saarland food,” said the Saarland native. “I have to make sure I still have enough food here.”
The fact that the three cosmonauts arrived on his birthday was “pure coincidence, of course,” he said. There are currently four US astronauts from NASA, two Russian cosmonauts and the German ESA astronaut Maurer on board the ISS. Maurer is the twelfth German in space and the fourth on the ISS.
On November 11, Maurer set out for the outpost of humanity with three colleagues from the US space agency Nasa. He is scheduled to return to Earth at the end of April. “I’m doing very well and enjoying the weightlessness. I’m just almost a little wistful that it’s going home soon, »he said.