ESA astronauts at ILA in Berlin
Ten past and present ESA astronauts will be at the ILA international aerospace show at Berlin’s Schoenefeld on Friday 11 June. At the same time, ESA will continue its presence on its shared stand.
ESA will participate in ILA’s ‘Spaceflight: Yesterday–Today–Tomorrow’ workshop on Friday, starting at 12:00 CEST in the Space Hall (Raumfahrt-Halle).
Former ESA astronauts Ulf Merbold and Ernst Messerschmid will represent the previous generation of space flyers and start the session. Current astronauts Hans Schlegel, Léopold Eyharts, Gerhard Thiele and Frank De Winne will then join them.
ESA’s Dutch astronaut André Kuipers will describe the training for his mission to the International Space Station in 2011.
New ESA astronauts Alexander Gerst and Samantha Cristoforetti will then appear via a live video link, from the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, where they are undergoing basic training.
Thomas Reiter, a member of the German Aerospace Center’s Executive Board, will also participate, taking questions about German activities in spaceflight.
Finally, ESA Director of Human Spaceflight Simonetta Di Pippo will talk about the future of the Agency’s contribution to the space station programme and her vision for Europe’s human spaceflight activities.
