Astronaut Matthias Maurer gets off the plane after arriving at Cologne/Bonn Airport. Photo: Henning Kaiser/dpa
–
(Photo: dpa)
–
–
–
–
“Splashdown!” proclaimed NASA when the “Endurance” capsule “I’m very happy,” said Maurer after his arrival. He’s still a bit shaky on his feet, but otherwise feels fine. The Saarlander had spent around six months on board the International Space Station ISS. A space capsule carrying Maurer and three Americans landed off the Florida coast on Friday morning. Upon his arrival in Cologne, Maurer was warmly welcomed by the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst (CDU), as well as by friends and relatives.
He is now looking forward to more freedom in his own daily routine, said Maurer. He is very satisfied with the overall course of the mission, at the same time he feels great humility. The 52-year-old said he enjoyed looking at the earth from above. He sometimes missed “conveniences like eating from a plate where not everything flies away”.
Special medical care
In the next two weeks, Maurer will be looked after around the clock by a specialized team at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne. According to a spokeswoman, he will undergo a series of medical tests at the DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine, which will focus on the topics of balance, fitness and performance.
Top-Jobs des Tages
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
–
–
–
Maurer traveled to the ISS on November 11, 2021. There he was involved in numerous experiments and completed a field assignment. The astronaut from the European space agency Esa was the twelfth German in space.
He got along wonderfully with the Russian cosmonauts, said Maurer. “The Russian colleagues are my space brothers, just like my Nasa colleagues.” He finds the Russian war against Ukraine that broke out during his space mission very depressing.
Because of the war, there are significant tensions between Moscow and the western space nations. Russia’s space agency Roskosmos recently left the station’s future open after the contract expired in 2024. NASA, on the other hand, is aiming for a term until 2030.
–
