Ulf Merbold facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ulf Merbold
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Official portrait for STS-42, 1991
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| Born | 20 June 1941 |
| Status | Retired |
| Occupation | Physicist |
| Space career | |
| ESA astronaut | |
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Time in space
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49 days |
| Selection | 1978 ESA Group |
| Missions | STS-9, STS-42, Euromir 94 (Soyuz TM-20/TM-19) |
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Mission insignia
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Ulf Dietrich Merbold (born June 20, 1941) is a German scientist and astronaut. He made history by becoming the first person from West Germany to fly into space. He was also the first non-American to fly on a NASA spacecraft.
Ulf Merbold traveled to space three times. He flew on two Space Shuttle missions and one Russian mission to the Mir space station. In total, he spent 49 days living and working in space.
Ulf grew up in East Germany. He later moved to West Germany to study physics. After becoming a physicist, he joined the European Space Agency (ESA). He then began his exciting career as an astronaut.
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Early Life and Education
Ulf Merbold was born in Greiz, Germany, on June 20, 1941. He was the only child of two teachers. His father was held prisoner after World War II and died in 1948. Ulf was raised by his mother and grandparents.
After high school in 1960, Ulf wanted to study physics. However, he was not allowed to attend university in East Germany. So, he moved to West Berlin to continue his studies.
When the Berlin Wall was built in 1961, it became hard for him to see his mother. He then moved to Stuttgart, West Germany. He studied physics at the University of Stuttgart and earned his degree in 1968.
In 1976, Ulf Merbold received his doctorate degree. His research was about how radiation affects iron. After this, he worked at the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research. He studied how materials behave at very low temperatures.
Becoming an Astronaut
In 1973, NASA and the European Space Research Organisation (now ESA) decided to build a science lab for the Space Shuttle. They planned for a European astronaut to fly on its first mission.
In 1977, ESA looked for new astronauts. Thousands of people applied. Ulf Merbold was one of four chosen to be among ESA's first astronauts. The others were Franco Malerba from Italy, Claude Nicollier from Switzerland, and Wubbo Ockels from the Netherlands.
In 1978, Merbold, Nicollier, and Ockels went to Houston for NASA training. Ulf became a "payload specialist." This meant he would focus on scientific experiments in space. He prepared for his first mission by learning about the planned experiments.
First Space Mission: STS-9
Flying on the Space Shuttle Columbia
Ulf Merbold's first space flight was on the STS-9 mission. It was also called Spacelab-1. He flew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. The mission launched on November 28, 1983.
This flight made Ulf Merbold the first non-American to fly on a NASA mission. He was also the first West German in space. It was also the first time six people flew together in space.
Life and Work in Space
During the mission, the crew worked in two teams. Ulf Merbold worked with commander John Young and Robert A. Parker. They worked 12-hour shifts. Merbold and Parker mostly worked in the Spacelab module.
The Spacelab mission had about 70 experiments. Many of these studied how fluids and materials behave in microgravity. Microgravity is a state where things feel weightless.
Astronauts also studied how space affects the human body. Ulf Merbold later shared that he felt some space sickness at first. But he felt much better after a short time.
The mission was very successful. It gathered many scientific results. Because of this, the mission was extended by one day. It lasted a total of ten days.
Towards the end of the mission, Ulf Merbold took part in a live TV conference. He spoke with US President Ronald Reagan and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Merbold showed them around Spacelab. He also showed them the beauty of Earth from space.
Return to Earth
Columbia landed safely on December 8, 1983. Just before landing, there was a small fire in the back of the shuttle. But the crew was safe.
After returning, Ulf Merbold said that walking again felt like being on a ship in a storm. He and the other science astronauts did many tests. They compared how their bodies reacted after spaceflight to how they felt in microgravity.
Supporting Other Missions
After his first flight, Ulf Merbold continued to support space missions. In 1984, he was a backup astronaut for the German Spacelab D-1 mission. He helped support the astronauts from the ground.
From 1986, Merbold worked for ESA. He helped plan the Columbus module for the International Space Station (ISS). In 1987, he became the head of the German Aerospace Center's astronaut office. He also helped coordinate science for another German Spacelab mission in 1993.
Second Space Mission: STS-42
International Microgravity Laboratory
In June 1989, Ulf Merbold was chosen for his second space mission. This was the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-1) Spacelab mission, STS-42. It launched on January 22, 1992.
He flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery. This mission was special because Ulf Merbold was the first astronaut to represent a reunified Germany. The other payload specialist was Roberta Bondar, the first Canadian woman in space.
Experiments in Space
This mission focused on life sciences and materials science. It included ESA's Biorack module. This facility allowed scientists to study cells and small organisms in weightlessness. They studied frog eggs, fruit flies, and slime molds.
The crew worked in two teams, just like on STS-9. The mission was extended from seven to eight days. This was because the crew used fewer supplies than expected. Discovery landed on January 30, 1992.
Third Space Mission: Euromir 94
Journey to the Mir Space Station
In 1992, ESA decided to work with Russia on human spaceflight. This was to gain experience for long missions. It also helped prepare for building the Columbus module of the ISS.
Ulf Merbold was chosen for the first joint ESA-Russian mission, Euromir 94. He trained in Russia at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. He launched on October 4, 1994, on Soyuz TM-20.
Merbold became the second person to fly on both American and Russian spacecraft. The computer on Soyuz TM-20 had a problem during docking. But the commander, Aleksandr Viktorenko, docked it manually. Ulf Merbold then joined the crew on the Mir space station.
Working on Mir
On Mir, Ulf Merbold performed many experiments. These included 23 life science experiments and 4 materials science experiments. One experiment studied how the human balance system works in space.
A power loss briefly affected some experiments. But power was restored quickly. The ground team rescheduled his work. Ulf Merbold spent a month working on the Mir space station.
Return to Earth
Ulf Merbold returned to Earth on November 4, 1994, on Soyuz TM-19. The landing was a bit rough. The capsule landed about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) off course. But none of the crew were hurt.
Ulf Merbold has spent a total of 49 days in space across his three missions. He has flown more times than any other German astronaut.
Later Career
In 1995, Ulf Merbold became the head of the astronaut department at the European Astronaut Centre. From 1999 to 2004, he worked to promote research opportunities on the ISS. He retired from ESA on July 30, 2004. However, he still does consulting work and gives lectures.
Personal Life
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Ulf Merbold married Birgit Riester in 1969. They have two children, a daughter born in 1975 and a son born in 1979. They live in Stuttgart, Germany.
In 1984, Merbold met Sigmund Jähn. Jähn was the first German in space, from East Germany. They both grew up in the same region. They became founding members of the Association of Space Explorers in 1985.
In his free time, Ulf Merbold enjoys playing the piano and skiing. He also loves to fly planes, including gliders. He has over 3,000 hours of flight experience as a pilot.
Awards and Honors
Ulf Merbold has received many awards for his achievements.
- In 1983, he received the American Astronautical Society's Flight Achievement Award.
- He was also awarded the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg in 1983.
- In 1984, he received the Haley Astronautics Award and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
- He received the Russian Order of Friendship in 1994.
- In 1995, he received an honorary doctorate degree.
- In 2008, an asteroid was named after him: 10972 Merbold.
See also
In Spanish: Ulf Merbold para niños
