Ulf Merbold facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ulf Merbold
Official portrait for STS-42, 1991
Born	(1941-06-20) 20 June 1941 (age 83) Greiz, Thuringia, Germany
Status	Retired
Occupation	Physicist
Space career
ESA astronaut
Time in space	49 days
Selection	1978 ESA Group
Missions	STS-9, STS-42, Euromir 94 (Soyuz TM-20/TM-19)
Mission insignia

Ulf Dietrich Merbold (born 20 June 1941) is a German scientist and astronaut. He made history by being the first person from West Germany to fly into space. He was also the first non-American to fly on a NASA spacecraft. 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 Merbold grew up in East Germany. Because he wasn't allowed to go to university there, he moved to West Berlin in 1960. After the Berlin Wall was built, he moved to Stuttgart, West Germany. He studied physics at the University of Stuttgart. In 1976, he earned his doctorate degree. He then worked at the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research.

In 1977, Merbold was chosen by the European Space Agency (ESA) to become one of their first astronauts. He started training with NASA in 1978. His first space flight was in 1983 on the Space Shuttle Columbia. He was a "payload specialist," meaning he focused on science experiments. He flew again in 1992 on the Space Shuttle Discovery. His third and final trip to space was in 1994. He spent a month working on the Russian Mir space station. After his space flights, Merbold continued to work for ESA. He retired in 2004.

Ulf Merbold's Early Life and School

Ulf Merbold was born in Greiz, Germany, on June 20, 1941. His parents were both teachers. His father was held prisoner after World War II and died in 1948. Ulf and his mother moved to a different house in Greiz. He grew up near his grandparents.

In 1960, Ulf finished high school. He wanted to study physics at a university in East Germany. However, he was not allowed to attend because he had not joined a youth group linked to the ruling political party. So, he rode his bicycle to West Berlin to study there.

In 1961, the Berlin Wall was built. This made it impossible for his mother to visit him. Merbold then moved to Stuttgart, West Germany, where he had an aunt. He started studying physics at the University of Stuttgart. He earned his first degree in 1968. In 1976, he earned a doctorate degree. His research was about how radiation affects iron. After his studies, Merbold worked at the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research. He studied how materials behave at very cold temperatures.

How Ulf Merbold Became an Astronaut

In 1973, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) decided to work together. They planned to build a science lab for the Space Shuttle. This lab was called Spacelab. They also agreed that a European astronaut should fly on the first Spacelab mission.

Ulf Merbold, Franco Malerba and Wubbo Ockels in 1978

In 1977, ESA asked people to apply to become astronauts. Thousands of people applied. Fifty-three people were interviewed and tested. They checked their science skills and health. Four people were chosen as ESA's first astronauts. These were Ulf Merbold, Franco Malerba from Italy, Claude Nicollier from Switzerland, and Wubbo Ockels from the Netherlands.

In 1978, Merbold, Nicollier, and Ockels went to Houston, USA. They trained at the Johnson Space Center with NASA. NASA had a special role called "payload specialist." These astronauts focused on science experiments. They didn't have to meet all the strict rules for regular astronauts. Merbold became a payload specialist. He also trained to fly planes.

In 1982, the crew for the first Spacelab flight was chosen. Merbold was the main ESA payload specialist. Ockels was his backup. The astronauts trained in different labs. They learned about the experiments they would do in space. They also trained on a Spacelab simulator. Merbold felt very welcome at some training centers. However, some people at Johnson Space Center didn't like having payload specialists. They thought Merbold was an "intruder."

Ulf Merbold's First Space Mission: STS-9

Crew of STS-9, from left to right: Owen Garriott, Byron K. Lichtenberg, Brewster H. Shaw, John Young, Ulf Merbold, Robert A. Parker

Ulf Merbold's first trip to space was on the STS-9 mission. This mission was also called Spacelab-1. It flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia. The launch was planned for November 28, 1983. It took off from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A in Florida. Merbold became the first non-American to fly on a NASA mission. He was also the first West German in space. This mission was the first time six people flew in space together.

Spacelab in Columbia's payload bay

During the mission, the astronauts worked in two teams. Each team worked for 12 hours. Merbold was on the "red team." He worked mostly in the Spacelab. Merbold and the mission commander, John Young, became good friends. On the first day, the crew had trouble opening the hatch to Spacelab. It was stuck, but they finally opened it after 15 minutes.

The Spacelab mission had about 70 experiments. Many of them studied how fluids and materials behave in microgravity (weightlessness). The astronauts also studied how space affects the human body. Some astronauts felt "space sickness." Merbold later said he felt sick twice but then felt much better. Merbold even fixed some broken equipment. This allowed more experiments to continue. The mission was very successful. So, it was extended by one day, lasting ten days in total.

Merbold on the flight deck

Near the end of the mission, Merbold took part in a TV press conference. US President Ronald Reagan and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl were also on the call. Merbold showed them Spacelab and the Earth from space. He talked about "the beauty of the Earth."

The shuttle landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Just before landing, there was a small fire in the back of the shuttle. After returning to Earth, Merbold said walking again felt like being on a ship in a storm. The science crew did many tests to see how their bodies changed after being in space. Merbold was very excited about the mission.

Ulf Merbold's Work on the Ground

In 1984, Ulf Merbold became a backup astronaut for another Spacelab mission. This mission was called Spacelab D-1. It flew on the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1985. During this mission, Merbold worked from the ground. He helped the astronauts in space and the scientists on Earth.

From 1986, Merbold worked for ESA in the Netherlands. He helped plan the Columbus module. This module is now part of the International Space Station (ISS). In 1987, he became the head of the German Aerospace Center's astronaut office. In 1993, he helped coordinate science for another German Spacelab mission.

Ulf Merbold's Second Space Mission: STS-42

STS-42 crew in the IML-1 Spacelab

In June 1989, Ulf Merbold was chosen for his second space mission. This was the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-1) Spacelab mission. It was called STS-42. The mission launched on the Space Shuttle Discovery on January 22, 1992. Merbold was the first astronaut to represent a unified Germany. The other payload specialist was Roberta Bondar, the first Canadian woman in space.

This mission focused on experiments about life sciences and materials in microgravity. The IML-1 included a special module called Biorack. In Biorack, cells and small living things could be studied in weightlessness. They looked at frog eggs, fruit flies, and slime molds. They also studied how cosmic rays affected bacteria and shrimp eggs. Other experiments looked at how humans react to weightlessness.

Like his first mission, the crew worked in two teams. The mission was extended from seven to eight days. This was because the crew used less supplies than expected. The shuttle landed at Edwards AFB on January 30, 1992.

Ulf Merbold's Third Space Mission: Euromir 94

Soyuz TM-20 docked to Mir

In 1992, ESA decided to work with Russia on human spaceflight. This was to gain experience with long space flights. It also helped prepare for building the Columbus module for the ISS. In 1993, Merbold and Spanish astronaut Pedro Duque were chosen as candidates for the first joint mission, Euromir 94.

Merbold and Duque began training in Russia in August 1993. They trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. In May 1994, it was announced that Merbold would be the main astronaut. Duque would be his backup.

Merbold launched on Soyuz TM-20 on October 4, 1994. He flew with commander Aleksandr Viktorenko and flight engineer Yelena Kondakova. Merbold became the second person to fly on both American and Russian spacecraft. During docking, the computer on the Soyuz spacecraft had a problem. But the commander managed to dock it by hand. They joined the crew already on the Mir space station. This made the crew six people for 30 days.

On Mir, Merbold did many science experiments. He did 23 life science experiments and 4 materials science experiments. For one experiment, he wore a helmet to study how his body reacted to space. There was a power loss on the station one day. This stopped some experiments. But the ground team rescheduled them.

Merbold returned to Earth on Soyuz TM-19 on November 4, 1994. The landing was a bit rough. The capsule landed off course and bounced. But none of the crew were hurt.

Ulf Merbold has spent 49 days in space. This is the most of any German astronaut.

Ulf Merbold's Later Career

In January 1995, after his last space mission, Merbold became the head of the astronaut department at the European Astronaut Centre. From 1999 to 2004, he worked for ESA in the Netherlands. His job was to tell European scientists and companies about the opportunities on the ISS. He retired on July 30, 2004. However, he still does consulting work for ESA and gives talks.

Ulf Merbold's Personal Life

Ulf Merbold in 2011

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 an East German cosmonaut. He was the first German in space. Both Merbold and Jähn were born in the same region of Germany. They became founding members of the Association of Space Explorers in 1985. Jähn even helped Merbold's mother get a permit to visit East Germany. After Germany became one country again, Merbold helped Jähn find work.

In his free time, Merbold enjoys playing the piano and skiing. He also loves to fly planes, including gliders. He has flown planes for over 3,000 hours. On his 79th birthday, he landed his plane at a new airport runway in his hometown.

Awards and Honors for Ulf Merbold

Ulf Merbold has received many awards for his work.

• In 1983, he received the Flight Achievement Award.
• He was also awarded the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg in 1983.
• In 1984, he received the Haley Astronautics Award. He also received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
• In 1988, he received the Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia.
• He received the Russian Order of Friendship in 1994.
• He received the Kazakh Order of Parasat in 1995.
• In 2011, he received the Russian Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration".
• In 1995, he received an honorary doctorate degree from RWTH Aachen University.

In 2008, an asteroid was named after him. It is called 10972 Merbold.

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See also

In Spanish: Ulf Merbold para niños