‘When I grow up, I'm going to be an astronaut!’ Did you know that even as a young boy?
As a child, I wanted to be a pilot. I only dared to dream of becoming an astronaut as an adult. What particularly appeals to me about the job of an astronaut is that it combines a number of different things. On the one hand, the opportunity to work on scientific topics. Secondly, the technology at the cutting edge of what is possible – and flying into space is really at the limit of what we can currently achieve with technology! Then I am fascinated by the interdisciplinary and intercultural work and, last but not least, of course, the adventure! Where can you find a greater adventure today than becoming an astronaut?
You are about to embark on your first mission to the International Space Station (ISS). What exactly will your research work on the ISS involve?
During the six months that we are up there, we will definitely be working on 100-120 scientific experiments. We usually work on experiments in the field of medicine, i.e. life science. How does the body behave in weightlessness? Or we conduct research into new materials. We also carry out combustion experiments, because combustion in weightlessness differs from that on the ground. On the one hand, this is important for the fuels we use, but on the other hand, it is also important in the event of an unwanted fire on board the station.
Today, you are the project manager of the planned LUNA facility on the grounds of the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne (EAC). What exactly will happen there?
At the moment, we have training facilities for the European segment of the ISS at the Astronaut Centre in Cologne. In the future, we would like to train astronauts for missions to the moon. We want to bring together astronauts, engineers and scientists, as well as students who are enthusiastic about this topic, and use the new LUNA facility to prepare for future lunar exploration. The LUNA facility consists of various components. First, there is the approximately 700 m² moon surface covered with moon sand. This is, of course, not real moon sand, but sand from the Eifel region in Germany, which has the same chemical composition and grain size distribution. This allows for very realistic training. In addition, there are various laboratories and rooms as well as diverse technical equipment, so that we can simulate and train a real moon exploration in the training hall at the Cologne location and train.
What is the relevance of the Cologne location for your research?
The Astronaut Centre is the only place in Europe where astronauts are trained. Every astronaut who flies to the ISS, including the Russians, the Americans, the Canadians, the Japanese and, of course, the Europeans, all come to Cologne and learn from us how our European module, the Columbus space laboratory, works on the ISS. We want to expand this for flights to the moon and later for landings on the moon. That's why Cologne is, so to speak, the only place in Europe where this can be done. We want to make Cologne Europe's moon city. That is our wish and to achieve it we need this LUNA facility.
Is there a place in Cologne that really grounds you?
One place I particularly like is the Rhine Boulevard. From there, you have a wonderful view of the old town and the cathedral. Here you can enjoy the river and the sun and let your mind wonder to what people in 500 or 1,000 years will know about us. Perhaps they will think about how we started out from Cologne, heading out into space and towards the moon...